Dangerous
by CherryDarlingxo
Summary: Jimmy is caught in the middle of a power struggle between Betty and Cindy, and he's left wondering which girl is more dangerous to his sanity. Too bad the boy genius doesn't have access to a manual for the female brain. Story is set in high school. A JimmyxCindy (eventual) happy ending.
1. attention

**Author's Note: Be gentle with me, this is my first attempt at writing fanfiction in many years. Visit my profile for more info about me and this story, if you'd like! Please review if you like the story and feel free to message me with any questions. I don't own anything or any character in this story.**

 **Dangerous**

If I would have realized that my summer activities would impact my junior year so much, I would have fought my mom harder when she started pressuring me into being more... _social_. My mother wasn't too keen on me spending another three months creating new inventions in my lab and possibly causing havoc on the city of Retroville with Carl and Sheen. The first weekend after school let out in May, she was begging me over breakfast to find something else to do that didn't involve science or academics. It was during this discussion that she had slyly slid the classifieds section of the newspaper to me, with a few helpful "suggestions" circled in red. "Let's lay off of the space travel for just awhile, dear," she had quipped while cheerily pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

At the time I knew better than to argue, so I begrudgingly picked one of the circled areas without really looking. I instantly regretted doing this when I was awoken the next morning at 7 am by my mother, insisting I get down to the community pool for my first day of lifeguard training.

I was more than a little surprised when I saw that Betty Quinlan was also training to be a lifeguard, and I was even more surprised by how friendly she was towards me. I hadn't been around Betty much besides occasionally seeing her at school. We'd had a few classes together in the previous years and most of our communication involved Betty asking me for help with the homework. It was always the same routine: she would sit next to me, smile beautifully and make small talk while eventually turning her questions about the homework until I would cave and help her. Not that it took much convincing.

-0-0-0-0-0-

I was sitting in English class on a Thursday when Betty Quinlan sat in the seat next to me and smiled brilliantly. "Hey swimming partner! I can see your tan didn't wear off completely these past few weeks like mine did," she laughed, glancing down not-so-subtly at my arms that were resting on my desk.

I had to choke back a nervous combination of a laugh and cough so I didn't completely embarrass myself, and instead mustered up a smile and response. "Well, I'm just as surprised as you are."

Betty giggled and reached into her backpack for a notebook. It was around that moment that the classroom door opened and in walked Cindy and Libby. Immediately, I felt uneasy. It was still the first week of school and while there technically were no seating assignments in this class, Cindy was known for being territorial over things she considered hers - in particular, the seat that Betty was currently sitting in.

Betty, however, was like a shark. She was terrifying, fascinating, and ruthless. She didn't take no for an answer and always got her way. She wasn't going to be intimidated by Cindy, the short blonde girl that Betty could easily tower over.

But if I'm comparing Betty to a shark, then Cindy Vortex is like a venomous snake; cruel and cold. Cindy doesn't hate me as much as she did in the 6th grade and we sort of have a civil agreement to tolerate each other. It only makes sense considering we are neighbors, attend the same school, and share mutual friends. This unspoken agreement we have doesn't stop her from calling me Nerdtron but she doesn't yell at me anymore. Not usually, anyway.

You can always tell what kind of day Cindy is having by the expression on her face and the way she carries herself. For example - this morning, she's walking in barely one minute before the last bell with a pissed off look on her face, so something must have made her angry. This is a tell-tale sign for me and everyone else around her to stay out of her path, unless you want to get verbally reamed. I had made that mistake a few times. If you catch Cindy on an off day and say anything to her that she doesn't like she could flip _your_ entire day upside down with just one insulting comment.

So I knew instantly that Cindy would be unhappy about Betty taking "her" seat. Sheen, who was on my other side, nudged my arm, "What's up with Queen Bee talking to you?" he stage-whispered, and I glanced at Betty to see if she heard. Many people, including Sheen of course, call Betty Queen Bee when she's not around and I had a feeling she wouldn't like hearing it. Luckily, Betty seemed occupied with the pissed off blonde that was now standing in front of her with her hands on her hips.

"You're in my seat."

Betty's expression remained neutral, almost serene. I didn't know how she managed to not crack under the extreme pressure. I could nearly feel Sheen vibrating with excitement next to me, "Oh man I hope we get to see a cat fight. I haven't seen one of those since...well, I've never seen a real catfight before. I guess today would be a good day to start-" I took this opportunity to poke him roughly in the ribs, effectively shutting him up.

"A seat is just a seat Cindy, no need to get in a fit over it," Betty shrugged, smiling up at Cindy pleasantly. Her tone and expression were kind but her words revealed that she wasn't completely unaffected by the exchange.

Libby, who had been standing behind Cindy this entire time, sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay let's all take a chill pill and sit down so we can get this school day over with already." She gently pushed Cindy's shoulder, encouraging her to keep walking and find a different seat. Cindy's expression completely cleared to a nonchalant one, but not before glancing down at me and glaring. She moved on and found a seat that was close behind Betty's.

I was more than little shocked that Cindy had given up so quickly, but I was secretly relieved. I sort of... _wanted_ Betty to sit next to me. She was pretty and nice and smelled good and so what if she was only sitting next to me because she wanted help with the homework? We had common ground now. We had both been lifeguards this past summer at the same pool, and she seemed to enjoy my company. I glanced back at Cindy for a moment. It felt a little strange that she wasn't sitting next to me. I had already begun thinking of the desk next to mine as hers. I shook my head and turned back to Sheen, who was now sighing, "Well, that was the most disappointing catfight I've seen in my entire life."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Later on, I was at my locker when I could suddenly feel a presence next to me. Then, I felt a light tap on my arm. I turned around, and it was Betty. I was almost relieved but instantly nervous at the same time.

"Hey, Jimmy," she said, almost shyly. "I know you and I haven't talked much since the pool closed a few weeks ago, and I'm sorry about that."

I just smiled and shrugged lightly. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure you were just busy. We probably both were with school getting ready to start. I know I'm trying to think of what colleges I really want to apply for." If I could kick myself for supplying way too much unneeded information without looking stupid, I would have in that moment.

Luckily, Betty just laughed. "Such an overachiever aren't you? Why don't you take a night off this Saturday and come to the party I'm having at my house?" She clasped her hands together in front of her cutely and looked up at me under her bangs.

To say I was shocked was a little bit of an understatement.

"Oh...uh, yeah! Sure. I would love to come. If that's that you want," I stuttered out.

"Of course! And you can invite your friends if you want. The more the merrier! But I would love if it we can talk some one-on-one at the party, too, though. I've missed talking to you."

I was definitely confused now. Betty and I had been pretty close this summer, but I assumed it was temporary. And I definitely didn't think that us working together would warrant a party invite or anything else.

"Thank you for the invite, Betty. I, uh, missed talked to you too. I'll definitely be there." I didn't want to mention that parties were more of Sheen or Cindy's thing and not mine. I also didn't want to mention that I was nearly having a full on panic attack at the idea of what "one-on-one" time with Betty meant.

"Great! I'll see you Saturday then!" With a brilliant smile that showed her perfectly white teeth, she flounced away down the hall, several people moving quickly to get out of her way - distinctly reminding me of a documentary I had seen once. It had been about sharks and how they nonchalantly take hold of a helpless swimmer and tear a limb off. I had to look down at my body to make sure I was still intact.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Alright, you gotta tell us what the hell is going on," Sheen exclaimed as he set down his lunch tray with a clang. Carl winced slightly as mystery meat debris flew off of the plate.

I knew he was talking about this morning in first period when Betty sat next to me, but I pretended not to know. "What are you talking about?"

"Sheen mentioned earlier that Betty was flirting with you, is that true?" Carl spoke up, dabbing at the mess Sheen had made on the table.

"She was full on making out with you with her EYES, dude! I didn't think she liked to interact with boy geniuses anymore!" Sheen seemed to be really fired up, which is just what I wanted to avoid. I rolled my eyes.

"I told you guys she was a lifeguard the same time I was. We got along pretty well. I guess we're...friends now." I felt sort of awkward even saying that. Maybe we weren't friends. Maybe we were just acquaintances and former coworkers and classmates. But she _did_ invite me to her party…

I shook myself out of my thoughts in time to catch Sheen and Carl both staring at me suspiciously. Sheen was the first to speak up, "Friends, huh? Well I think Little Jimmy has gotten himself a GIRLFRIEND!"

I looked around to make sure no one, especially Betty, could hear Sheen practically scream from where she was sitting across the cafeteria. She caught my eye and smiled at me. I smiled back but quickly turned around out of panic. I hoped she didn't think I was being creepy.

I was startled to see Cindy plop herself down right across from me, elbowing both Sheen and Carlin the process. Sheen wrapped a protective arm around his tray as if Cindy was there to steal his food, "Hey Blondezilla, what do you think you're doing here interrupting our manly talk?!" Carl just rubbbed his ribs cautiously and side eyed Cindy.

Cindy rolls her eyes, "Don't call me Blondezilla. And don't give me that crap about _manly talk_ \- what kind of manly things would you three ever talk about? Playing with those stupid dolls and the latest llama documentary?" Carl starts to protest by surely mentioning how he wants to protect the reputation of his dear llamas but I decide to cut them both off.

"Cindy, what do you want?"

She just shrugs. "Libby has a dentist appointment this afternoon so I decided to grace you nerds with my presence."

I know deep down Cindy probably feels a little lost without her best friend, especially during the first few days of junior year, so I don't make fun of her for having no one else to sit with. I don't even acknowledge her rude nerd comment even though I want to.

Sheen huffs angrily, "Okay, shut up. Jimmy here was about to tell us all about his new girlfriend."

Cindy raises her eyebrows and looks at me square in the eyes, "New girlfriend? This wouldn't be the same brat that took my seat this morning, would it?"

Sheen starts to cackle and Carl slyly slides Cindy's mystery meat off her tray. It goes unnoticed by her. I can feel a headache starting to form. "Betty is not my girlfriend. And I can't believe you got so angry about a dumb seat earlier-" I stopped speaking when I realized that Cindy was giving me a death glare. "Fine, we won't talk about the seat thing."

"Whatever, Nerdtron. Next time your girlfriend wants to sit in my seat, just tell her to sit in the one that's shoved up her-"

I had to interrupt, "Enough about the seat! I was actually going to tell you guys about the party she invited me to this weekend." Everyone at the table was instantly silent. I _was_ going to tell Sheen and Carl about the party, but not Cindy. Part of me thinks that when Betty said I could invite my friends, she didn't mean Cindy Vortex.

Sheen had gasped the moment I said the word _party_. "This is amazing! I mean I'm happy that you got yourself a new girlfriend and all, but I'm even more excited that we get to go this party!" He rubbed his hands together like he was scheming something.

Carl looked uneasy. "Guys, I'm not sure if going to this party is such a good idea…" Sheen immediately shushed him.

I was more focused on Cindy. Instead of looking pissed off like I expected, she looked intrigued. "Are you inviting me to the party, too, Jimmy?"

Wait...did she just call me Jimmy? I was automatically suspicious. Cindy wasn't usually nice to me unless she wanted something from me. This time, it obviously seemed to be an invitation to the party she wanted. I studied her more closely to detect any signs of mischief or deceit but there were no clear ones. She just looked curious and maybe a little...hesitant.

"Uh...yeah, of course you can come."

She looked surprised by my answer, but smiled. She reached out and patted my cheek lightly. I feel frozen by the bold move. Cindy doesn't usually make it a habit to touch me on purpose. Her hand is surprisingly warm and I can smell her sweet perfume.

"Looks like we're going to a party, Little Jimmy."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy's POV**

Thursday morning was already off to a bad start the second I opened my eyes. I glanced at the clock and realized I had slept through my alarm and was going to be late to school if I didn't hurry. Just great. I could hear my mom making noises in the kitchen and hurried to get ready.

I bounded down the stairs the same moment she was looking ready to walk up them and come get me. "You're going to be late for school!" She exclaims and hands me my backpack.

I sigh and put it on. "I just won't eat breakfast. Did you get a chance to look at that pamphlet I gave you? About Princeton and financial aid-"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "Cindy, we don't have time to talk about that right now."

"But it's really important that you at least _look_ at it."

"And I will. But you need to go to school now."

She started shuffling me out the door and I knew she wouldn't say anything else about it, at least not right now. I could practically feel the small knot of anxiety starting to form in my stomach. Princeton is the place I plan to be at in less than two years, but in order for that to happen, I needed both of my parents to cooperate with me. Neither of them were. My parents were divorced and for the past six years, they had trouble even being in the same room together, much less trying to come to an agreement about how to pay for my schooling.

I was the second smartest person in my grade, maybe even the whole school. That I was sure of. I was also sure that being second would only get me a free ride to the local community college, maybe even to a nearby university, but that's not what I wanted. I had worked hard my entire high school career to get the best grades possible but I could finally admit to myself what I had trouble even thinking about when I was younger: Jimmy Neutron would always be number one. He was a boy genius after all. And I was...mostly fine with that. But if for some reason my parents couldn't pay for school, I needed a back up. I was starting to think that maybe I needed something other than academics to focus on.

Libby met me at my locker as I was rapidly pulling out the books I needed for my first few classes. "Guuurl you didn't tell me you were about to be late today. I almost went to class without you."

"Well thank you for waiting on me. I haven't had a great start to the day." I sighed and we started walking to our class.

"You can tell me all about it later. The last bell is about to ring. Except you can't tell me at lunch, because I have a dentist appointment-"

"LIBBY. Do you know what this means? I'm going to have to sit with Nerdtron and his nerd squad all alone at lunch and I might die." She just rolled her eyes at me and gestured for me to open the classroom door.

The first thing I noticed was Jimmy. He looked happy, and was smiling. I immediately started to feel annoyed. How could someone be this happy so early in the day? I glanced to my seat that was next to his - I loathe the fact that he chose a seat next to mine on the first day, therefore meaning I was stuck sitting next to his big head the rest of the year - and realized something. It wasn't empty. Betty fucking Quinlan was sitting in it.

Most days, I don't let perfect Betty Quinlan ruin my mood. Sure, she runs the school and does most things flawlessly but I am confident in the fact that I am smarter and wittier than she is...not that it's a competition. I'm not entirely sure what we would be competing for anyway. Her constant smiling, good mood, and general self annoys me but she's easy to ignore.

But how am I supposed to ignore her when she's sitting in my damn seat?

I don't put up much of a fight when she refuses to get up. I can see out of the corner of my eye that idiotic Sheen is gearing up for a possible fight and I don't feel like putting in the energy today. Not only that, but I can see Jimmy looking between us uneasily and it makes me feel surprisingly ashamed. There has to be a reason Betty chose to sit there anyway, so I decide to shut up and let it slide for now.

I can feel Jimmy's eyes on me when I sit down and make a mental note to yell at him during lunch about this little situation.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

While walking down the hallway towards the cafeteria, I pause for a moment at the cluttered bulletin board on the wall. Most of the flyers for clubs, shows, and events were still from last school year, with a few new ones posted in the middle of the board. A bright blue paper in the corner catches my eye. I roll my eyes when I see that it's for cheerleading and pom squad tryouts. The cheerleading squad was actually not completely untalented, but the team was full of air-headed girls that wore their uniforms all day every day. I was about to walk away when I noticed the fine print at the bottom that described competitions the team took part in - _First place team winners of the Dallas Cheerleading Competition gets $25,000 scholarship! Each member included!_

Suddenly I was more interested in cheerleading. It definitely had its merits. Looking around cautiously, I pulled out a pen from my backpack and scribbled my name on the tryout sheet.

It couldn't hurt have a back-up plan.


	2. fake happy

**Thank you to all those who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It means a lot to me! As usual, I don't own anything related to Jimmy Neutron. For this chapter, we will start out with Cindy's POV and I'll indicate every time when the POV switches. I also realize that I'm a little long-winded. This story will most likely be long and more like a slow burn JimmyxCindy rather an an immediate thing, so stick with me. :) Thank you once again, and review!**

 **Dangerous**

I woke up early on Friday with a plan in mind. The first step would be to show up to the guidance counselor's office before first period for a little...guidance. Sure, it was only the first week of school, but I needed advice on this whole cheerleading tryout idea before I just dove into it. Or worse, told my mother about it. She would be over the moon if she knew I was even thinking about joining the squad. My mother knowing anything about this before I had even made a solid decision would be catastrophic simply for the fact she would pressure me into it. Pressuring me into things was her number one favorite activity.

For my entire life, she has pressured me into all the piano and ballet lessons, academic summer camps, and extracurricular activities I could handle. Hell, even some I didn't think I _could_ handle. I didn't miss practices. I didn't slack off in my classes even if I was tempted to. For the most part, I was grateful for the amount of pushing my mom has done. Without it, I'm not sure if I would be motivated to do everything I do. I'm more than slightly scared of disappointing her.

All of this makes me confused about her hesitation regarding my wanting to go to Princeton. I figured she would be happy that I was trying to go to such a high-esteemed school. I try to chalk her indifference up to her worrying about the cost of tuition, and I decide to ask her about it again before I leave for school.

She's standing at the kitchen island when I come down the stairs, reading the paper and drinking coffee. I spot the pamphlets I left for her - in plain sight - just a few mere inches from where she was standing and I start to feel nervous.

"Good morning. I see you got an easier start to the day than you did yesterday," she says shortly. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"You're right, I'm going to school early today so I can get ahead on some things." I say in order to try to make her happy, and it seems to work by the way she looks at me and gives me a small smile. "But before I leave - did you get a chance to look at those?" I glance down at the papers.

My mother pauses with her coffee cup almost to her lips and sighs. "I've been very busy at work, Cindy. I'll get to it when I get to it."

"Well, no problem, I can just tell you most of what's in there anyway. Have you talked to dad about what we are doing about tuition? Because if not -" I realize that I'm talking faster and faster with each word, knowing that any mention of my dad won't go over well.

Just as I expected, her coffee cup hits the marble countertop with solid thud. "Cynthia, the way your father and I handle things is between us. We will figure it out soon."

Her avoidance of the topic is starting to frustrate me. "Okay, but how soon? I've been asking about this for months now."

"You have plenty of time."

"How about I talk to him?" It's a desperate almost-plea. I only talk to my dad every few weeks or so. He's a busy person, something that I definitely understand, but it seems that the older I get the more distance he is. I blame it on the fact that he got remarried and has a new family to worry about. I try not to think about the lack of a decent relationship I have with him. It's easier to focus on more attainable things, like going to a school far, far away from Retroville.

My mother just glares at me until I start to regret bringing Princeton up at all. "While I'm sure he would appreciate a call from you, I believe the topic of money and school should stay far away from your topics of conversation with your father. You need to let this go, Cindy, and just trust me." She lifts the newspaper up higher and starts reading again - a clear signal that she's done talking to me.

Here's the thing - I don't trust her. I love my mom and I know she wants what is best for me, but only I know what I want. I'm starting to think she doesn't understand how badly I want to get accepted into Princeton and I know I need to take matters into my own hands.

The first step was sweet-talking the guidance counselor to make me a permanent weekly appointment with her and the second step was taking a little visit down to my father's office after school.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

While sitting in English class on Friday morning, I felt an odd sense of deja vu when Betty walked in and started heading towards the seat next to mine ( _Cindy's seat_ my brain chimes in unhelpfully) but I try to ignore the uncomfortable feeling. I shifted nervously but returned the cheerful smile she gave me as she sat down. Once again, neither Cindy or Libby have arrived to class yet. I glanced at Sheen and he waggled his eyebrows at me. I quickly looked away so Betty wouldn't even think to look over at him, too.

I desperately hoped that today would go over more smoothly than the day before; meaning Cindy would keep her mouth shut in front of Betty instead of complaining about her seat being taken. As I saw the door open and a flash of blonde hair walk through it, my anxiety rose exponentially.

I hadn't slept well the night before. All I could think about Betty's party. How do I act? How would Betty act? I tossed and turned just thinking about all the possible scenarios. Even my usual trick of reciting every mathematical equation I knew didn't help put me to sleep. I was starting to think Betty was getting under my skin.

To my surprise - and everyone else's apparent surprise too according to the expressions on Sheen and Libby's faces - Cindy didn't so much as stop, look, or say a word to Betty and just took the seat directly behind her. She looked like she was occupied by the stack of papers she had in her hands.

Suddenly, she glanced up at me and I realized I must have been staring a little too closely. She quickly gathered the papers and shoved them in her backpack.

"What do you want, Neutron?"

I turned around without replying and couldn't help but notice the fact she didn't pick up the opportunity to insult or embarrass me. I wondered what she was looking at that she didn't want anyone else to see.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

I knocked on Mrs. Lawrence's door rapidly up until the moment she opened it. Her face slightly fell when she saw it was me. She probably didn't appreciate seeing me this early in the morning, knowing from previous experience just how many questions I would have for her. I immediately sat down in front of her desk and handed her my resume.

"Well good morning to you too, Miss Vortex," she said dryly, putting on her glasses and holding the paper up so she could read it. "This is a very nice resume you have. I think I remember it." She winked at me and set it down.

I frowned. "Mrs. Lawrence, don't you think it needs...something else? Something to make me stand out, or like a thousand hours of charity work or... _something_?"

She sighed. "Cindy, you're a very smart girl. This resume is more impressive than most adults I know. What more do you think Princeton needs?"

"Well, I was thinking about trying out for the cheerleading squad. I know it sounds a little strange but I figured throwing a team sport on there would show that I'm-"

"A well-rounded individual?" Mrs. Lawrence finished. I nodded eagerly and pointed at her.

"You know exactly what I mean."

She just laughed. "Joining the squad would definitely be different for a scholar like you, and I think it's a good idea. Maybe you'll get some of that stress out," she said while laughing again.

Suddenly I wasn't feeling so friendly towards the laughing woman across from me. She caught me glaring and cut her glee short.

"In all honesty, Cindy, you're going to be fine. If you are really that worried about _rounding out_ your resume you could do many things to fix that. Becoming a cheerleader is just one way. Getting a part-time job, finding more charity work to do, helping out with planning for future school events, and hey, even winning prom queen would be a good one."

A part-time job? Winning prom queen? Those things sounded like way more of an investment than I planned on doing. Joining the squad would probably be easy, I could wear a skirt, hold some pom-poms, and dance the night away if I had too. Memorizing cheers would be a piece of cake compared to getting anyone and everyone at school to vote for me as their prom queen.

I sighed internally. I was going to do it, though. All of it.

Mrs. Lawrence was still talking, "I happen to know some events that could use your help with decorating and such." She handed me several papers that had words on it like _holiday dance_ and _Halloween bash_. "I also know that the cheerleading coach had a meeting for the team yesterday."

I started to panic. "You mean I missed the meeting? Will I still be allowed to try out?!"

"Calm down, Cindy, you can still get on the squad," she handed me another stack of papers. "Have a parent sign some of these and read over the materials so you're ready. Tryouts are a week from today."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

As I was exiting the restroom right before lunch, I quite literally ran into Libby who was walking by.

"I'm sorry! I definitely didn't see you," I explained.

She just laughed. "Boy, it's okay. I was meaning to talk to you anyways. Cindy says we are going to some party you got invited to?"

I was afraid this was going to be the main topic of discussion for the rest of my life.

"Oh yeah uh, that's right. Are you two going to come?" I asked slowly, hoping the answer would be a no while knowing that it would actually be a yes. Libby would never turn down an opportunity to dance. If she knew Sheen was going, she was definitely going to be in. The two of them have been dancing around the idea of dating for quite awhile now. And if Libby is going, then Cindy would most definitely be there too.

"Of course we are! You know I gotta get down in that rich girl's living room like nobody has ever seen before!" We both laughed. "Besides, I think Cindy needs a break from her daily routine. She's been totally buggin' lately." She shook her head and started to walk towards the cafeteria.

I walked quickly to catch up to her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, just the usual. She stresses herself out too much, you know? Sometimes I worry she's gonna fall over dead with exhaustion," Libby said, entirely too nonchalant even though her wording, in my opinion, was a little dark. Until I noticed the weird way she was acting this morning, it didn't seem like Cindy was ever stressed out. Dramatic? Possibly. Loud? Occasionally. Angry? All the time. But stressed out? I wasn't sure if I believed it.

I was about to say something else, but Libby seemed to be in a hurry. We met up with Sheen and Carl in the lunch line and we all brought our food to our usual table. As I was starting to wonder Cindy was, she seemingly popped up out of nowhere with a to-go cup of coffee in her hand.

Carl jumped as she plopped down across from him, right next to me. "Don't be so jumpy, Carl! You're gonna make me drop something!" Sheen exclaimed around a mouthful of food.

Cindy rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but Libby beat her to it, "Where have you been? And where did you get that?" She pointed towards the coffee.

"I've been around. I got this from the teacher's lounge," Cindy shrugged.

I shook my head at her, "How did you manage to get into the teacher's lounge and get coffee without getting in trouble?"

"Well, Nerdtron, if I told you I would have to kill you," she stated matter-of-factly.

Whatever was bugging her this morning must have worn off, because she seemed like her usual old self. Mildly insulting and rude.

Suddenly, I felt a small hand on my shoulder and nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned around and saw it was Betty.

She giggled at me, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! I was just wondering if you were all ready for my party tomorrow." Her hand was still on my shoulder and she squeezed lightly. It was hard to concentrate on answering her. She was so close I could smell her perfume, which was a strong floral scent.

I had a sudden flash to a similar moment at the same lunch table yesterday, with Cindy's hand on my cheek and how I could smell her perfume. I glanced over at Cindy who had a smirk on her face. "Little Jimmy going to his first real party," she muttered into her coffee cup. I wanted to glare at her but I knew I needed to reply to Betty.

I grinned at her. "I think I'm ready. Are you excited for it?"

Betty squeezed my shoulder again, a little harder this time. "I definitely am," she said quietly, flashing a small smile to everyone else at the table. I felt a hard kick under the table and I resisted cursing Sheen under my breath.

All too soon, Betty was walking back to her own table.

"Duuuuuude," Sheen started, and I took a breath to steady myself after the sudden encounter. "Did you see the way she looked at you? Like you're a piece of meat and she's the lion." He nudged Carl in the ribs and they both laughed. I shook my head at them and Libby smacked Sheen in the arm.

Cindy reached over the table grabbed a napkin off my tray and held it out for me.

"What's this for?" I asked in a panicked tone, worried I had just talked to Betty with something embarrassing on my face.

She just smirked at me, but I noticed her eyes looked more angry than mischievous. For the first time in a long time, I was able to get a good look at Cindy up close, and sure enough she did look a little tired. But maybe I was imagining things. Maybe I thought she looked tired because Libby mentioned it. Maybe she didn't get a lot of sleep last night, just like me. Now that I think of it, I do remember seeing a light on at the Vortex household pretty late while I was having my own troubles falling asleep.

I took the napkin from her cautiously.

"You're drooling, Nerdtron."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

Four o'clock rolled around and I found myself standing in front of the building my dad worked in and feeling nervous as hell. I wasn't just nervous about talking to my dad face-to-face for the first time in who knows how long. I was nervous about cheerleading tryouts. I was nervous about confronting my mother again, and her finding out about how I came here without her knowing. Of all the things to be nervous about, I was definitely nervous about going to Betty Quinlan's party in a little over 24 hours from now. I couldn't really put my finger on why I was so nervous, but the whole situation felt off. I went to parties once in awhile, but never to Betty's before. I still remembered how the Queen Bee herself stood at the lunch table today like a damn Greek statue and pretended like she cared about anyone except Jimmy Neutron - which was totally weird by the way. Betty was a nice person but she sure never took an interest in Little Jimmy before. I was sure everyone thought it was weird.

I shook off all the nervous feelings and pressed the buzzer in order to get let in the building. I was Cindy Vortex, and I didn't get nervous about things like going to a party, trying out for the cheerleading squad, or whatever was happening between Nerdtron and Quinzilla. I faced all my problems head on, and I definitely shouldn't need to give myself a pep talk every couple hours just to continue the day.

Next thing I knew I was being shown into my dad's office by his receptionist and he had a very surprised look on his face. "Cindy! Wow...I wasn't expecting you here. Did you leave a message saying you would be here?"

Not exactly the warm welcome I was hoping. He didn't sound unhappy but not overjoyed either. I pasted on a smile and went in for a slightly-awkward hug.

"No I just thought I would surprise you!" He patted me on my back before quickly sitting down at his desk, gesturing that I sit across from him in the stiff, overstuffed chair across from him.

We talked for a few minutes about how his wife, Carly, and her two kids, Marie and Garrett, and how I was doing in school. I found I had actually missed talking to my dad. He was more easygoing and friendlier than my mom, even if we did go long weeks without talking.

When the small talk started to come to a close, I decided to just jump into the real topic with both feet. "So I was wanting to talk to you about school. Princeton, actually. I think I have a pretty good chance at getting in. I know it's an expensive school but I think if I can get a few scholarships it will be okay. And financial aid can probably fill in the difference that you and mom can't pay." My well-rehearsed speech sounded confident to my ears but I still felt like I was rambling.

My father had on a blank face and was looking down at all the paperwork on his desk, avoiding all eye contact. "Cindy, I've been meaning to talk to you for some time now about this. Your mother, too. I think it's time you learned a few things about our family and how this college situation is going to work out for you."

My mind immediately went to one conclusion: he was definitely not going to help me out. I knew it deep down without him having to say it. I felt frozen. I wasn't sure if I could even feel my feet.

"What do you mean? Talk to me about what?" I asked slowly, trying not to freak out on him.

"Well, I know you're very smart. You will probably get into every school you apply to. As for Princeton, you're right about it being expensive. I would love for you to go there if you really wanted," the sentence started to trail off and he started to look extremely uncomfortable. "But I will not be helping you out financially. I know my wife would not be happy with me if I did. I'm very sorry."

I was stunned. I didn't even know where to start. "She wouldn't be happy with you?! You're my dad. You're supposed to help me. Why can't you?" I could hear my own voice getting louder and louder with each sentence and he put his hands out to try to calm me down, but there was no use.

"Cindy, I can't help you because I'm not actually your father."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I realized several things as I was leaving who-I-thought-was-my-dad's office as fast as I could.

One: I had no ride home. Libby had picked me up for school and I forgot to tell her I was walking downtown and would possibly need a ride. Two: it was starting to rain. Heavily. Three: every day on her lunch hour my mom leaves Humphrey out in our back yard, which has a fence but it isn't very strong. Every day after school I let him back inside. It was nearing six o'clock now, and Humphrey was probably freaking out from being alone for longer than he was used to. Not to mention, he hated the rain.

I thought about calling Libby - or literally anyone I knew - for a ride, but it was already starting to downpour and I didn't have a jacket. Not only that, but I would have to explain as to why I was downtown and why I seemed so...distraught.

The past six years since my parent's divorce made a lot more sense to me now. My dad (whose name is William, I guess I should call him that now) married my mom when she was already pregnant. He had assumed the baby - meaning me - was his and my mom let him believe it. Fast forward several years later to the end of their marriage and it's revealed that biologically, William Vortex isn't my dad. I don't know who my real dad is. I didn't have a dad, technically. Did that mean I wasn't technically a Vortex? I had a lot of questions, but I wanted nothing more than to avoid my mother for the rest of my life. I'm sure William would be calling her soon to tell her that he spilled the beans. William not being my real father explained a lot of things - like why we never talked anymore and why I wasn't forced to spend every other weekend and holiday with him like every other kid with divorced parents. The whole concept felt so odd to me. Sure, my dad had been a hard-working, sometimes-absent parental figure when I was younger but he always felt like he was _my dad_. And now he wasn't. It was almost as if someone had chopped off one of my hands or feet and now I was bleeding everywhere.

I focused on walking quickly in order to get home, hoping my mother would still be at work and Humphrey would still be in the backyard when I got there. I couldn't stop thinking about Princeton. Suddenly, a sure thing that I could rely on wasn't so sure anymore. The one thing I wanted.

I crossed my arms to shield myself from the cold rain that seemed relentless. I felt like crying, and maybe I was. I couldn't really tell with all the rain. I stopped right before crossing a road nearly four more blocks away from my house to let a car go by. That same car slowed down as it passed me before coming to a completely stop in front of me. I groaned as I realized I knew exactly who owned this particular car. The window on the passenger side rolled down to reveal Jimmy Neutron as the driver.

"Cindy? What are you doing?"


	3. feels

**Hello all! I'm loving the helpful reviews you've all left. Keep 'em coming. This chapter will be a long one. I hope you enjoy! Starting out with Jimmy's POV this time - once again I'll indicate changes. I fully intended for this chapter to be about Betty's party, but I have a way with having my stories get away from me. So that will be next chapter! That will just ensure that this story is even longer ;)**

 **Without giving too much away, I will say there are a few JimmyxCindy moments here and there. But don't worry, Betty and conflict are lurking somewhere close. It won't be that easy for our favorite couple.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Dangerous**

For the past few years, I've volunteered to help tutor for a few hours during the week after school, mostly with younger students having trouble in their math or chemistry classes. I didn't mind doing it because it killed time and I knew it would look good on college applications - not that I necessarily needed any help with that. I was especially grateful to get my mind off of particular topics for awhile; including Betty Quinlan and her party. It had been all I thought about for most of the day after lunch.

It was raining pretty heavily as I was driving home. I glanced to my right as I stopped at a stop sign just a few minutes from my house and noticed a figure standing on the corner. I immediately recognized the short stature and blonde ponytail. Cindy. What the hell was she doing walking around in the rain? I inched my car forward a little so I could get a little closer to her and rolled down the passenger side window. "Cindy? What are you doing?"

There was a moment that passed where Cindy didn't move. She just stood there with her arms crossed, staring almost blankly at me. She was soaking wet and not even wearing a jacket. Suddenly she started to move and bent down slightly to look into my car. "Hey Neutron. What's up?"

I didn't know what was more appalling. The fact that she just casually asked me "what's up?" or that she was acting like she wasn't standing in the pouring rain. I heard a crack of thunder just a split second before the darkening sky lit up brilliantly. In the short second of light all I could see was Cindy's bright green eyes looking right at me.

I was at a loss of what to say, "...What are you doing?"

Cindy just rolled her eyes. "Well I _was_ walking home until you rudely interrupted."

Did this girl actually not realize it was raining buckets? Not only that, but her ponytail had moved from her back to her shoulder was leaving a trail of water down the inside of my car. That combined with my wide open window was sure to leave a mess. I sighed.

"Okay...well, get in. I'll give you a ride home."

Just like that, Cindy's demeanor changed. It was like flipping switch. She stood back up and crossed her arms again. She didn't look angry. Just...indifferent. "Thanks but no thanks. I can walk just fine."

"Oh for God's sakes Cindy, you're going to get sick if you stay outside much longer. Just get in the damn car." I was starting to get a little annoyed. Leave it up to Cindy to ignore common sense just for the sake of arguing with me.

She glared at me for a moment and I was preparing myself for an insulting response, maybe even her flipping me off and walking away. But she didn't do any of those things. I could tell she was holding some sort of retort back but she reached for the door handle instead and got inside my car.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I felt a little bad for being so demanding once Cindy was settled and we were headed back to our houses. She really was soaking wet and looked uncomfortable to say the least. I kept sneaking glances at her but she hadn't said a word since she had gotten in. I wanted to say something, but I was somewhat afraid she would snap at me.

I pulled into her empty driveway so she wouldn't have to walk from my house to hers in the rain. Her house looked dark and a little depressing; her mom must not be home yet.

Cindy was out of the car in an instant, surprising me. I opened my mouth to say something like _you're welcome for the ride home_ but when she bypassed her front door and started running toward the back of the house, I realized something was wrong. I cursed under my breath and shut my car off before following her quickly to her backyard.

When I caught up to her, she was just standing near the fence that blocked off her yard from the neighbors'. She didn't move or turn around or say a word to me when I stood behind her for a few moments, and I was starting to get really worried. I gently put my hand around her arm, which was freezing cold, and gently turned her around. Her eyes wide and she looked panicked.

"Cindy, what's wrong?"

She pointed towards the fence, where I could see a large hole had been dug underneath of it, near the corner. The hole was so deep it was rapidly filling up with water. "I...I didn't come home right after school like usual to let Humphrey back inside. I guess my mom is working late. He must've dug this hole and got out because he was scared of the storm," she took a shaky breath and looked at me. "I have to find him." She started to walk away from me but I tightened the grip I had on her arm so she couldn't get anywhere.

"Wait. Put this on first," I said, slipping my jacket off and wrapping it around her quickly, encouraging her to put her arms in. As if she were in a daze, she complied without much fight. "I'll help you find him. He couldn't have gone far."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Nearly two hours later we still hadn't seen her dog and I could tell Cindy was very upset. Humphrey had always been by her side growing up and I didn't blame her for being distraught. She had only said maybe twenty words to me since she realized Humphrey was missing; mostly about where we should look next. We had driven around town several times, looked in ditches and in bushes, and even asked our neighbors if they had seen any sign of him and...nothing.

Defeatedly, Cindy told me to take her home and I did but I felt uneasy. Thinking about Cindy going home to her still-empty house and how sad she must be about Humphrey and I knew I couldn't just drop her off at home and leave her alone. Cindy reached for her door handle and so did I. She looked at me curiously but seemed to get the hint that I was coming inside with her and didn't say anything.

Once inside, Cindy turned on a few lights and left to get some towels for us. I sat down gingerly on the couch, hoping I wasn't getting everything too wet. She came back and handed me a towel, sitting down on the cushion next to mine. She stared at at her hands, which were settled on the towel in her lap, but didn't make any moves to dry off. Her hair was dripping slowly onto the hardwood floor of her living room.

I was almost at a loss of what to say, so I started to do what I think I do best: assess the situation, figure out the problem, and fix it. Create a solution; or at least try to. I took the towel from her gently and unfolded it, sitting it around shoulders.

Not really thinking, I grabbed her hand that was closest to me and held it, and she looked up at me in surprise. She also looked like she was ready to cry. "Hey, I know you're upset. I'm sorry we couldn't find him, but I think we will eventually. He's a smart dog. He knows where he lives."

I have this weird thing I like to call the Cindy Vortex Reflex - where I am constantly waiting on Cindy to do something like yell, snap at me, roll her eyes, or a combination of all three. It was just an involuntary response created from many years of conditioning.

I sat with bated breath, knowing that she wouldn't take to well with being sympathized. She always has a guard up.

But, just the opposite happened. Instead of pushing my hand away or shutting me down with an insult, I was completely shocked when she gave me a smile that didn't reach her eyes and then she smoothly turned hand over so she could hold mine, squeezing it gently.

"Thank you for helping me. You really didn't have to spend so much time helping me. Or give me a ride home. Or give me your jacket. Speaking of…" she lifted her arms to start to take my jacket off but I stopped her by dragging her hand over to my lap and holding it on my thigh.

"Keep it. You still look cold," I said. "And it's really no problem. I would've just spent tonight in my lab or doing homework anyway. I just wish we would've found Humphrey."

Cindy just blinked at me a few times before smiling at me again, and this time it seemed more genuine. I was happy I could make her smile even if she was upset.

 _But why do you care if she's happy?_ The thought flitted through my mind but I quickly pushed it away so I could think about it later. Much, much later. Because right now, Cindy was looking up at with those huge green eyes that I felt like I could drown in and her small hand was quickly feeling warm in mine. And she was _smiling_. She looked vulnerable - something I hadn't witnessed from Cindy Vortex in a long, long time.

A scratching noise coming from somewhere behind me broke the spell I was seemingly under and Cindy reacted to it, too. It was coming from the front door. She jumped up quickly, the towel falling to the couch. She opened the front door and in ran Humphrey, looking a little wet and muddy but none the worse for wear. He bounded around the living room excitedly - albeit a little slow in his older age, tracking muddy footprints everywhere.

Cindy fell to her knees so she could give Humphrey a hug and he licked her face affectionately. I bent down and patted him on the head. "I told you he would be back," I stated.

"You sure did, Neutron," she said, her tone a little dry. I almost sighed in disappointment. There were a million moments like this for every single nice moment I had with her. She had a real easy way of pretending like everything was fine and I was left feeling a little ridiculous.

"Well, I guess I better head home now," I said slowly, and started walking towards the door. There wasn't much use in staying and the air in the room was starting to get awkward.

I was opening the door to leave when Cindy's suddenly timid-sounding voice stopped me, "Hey Jimmy?" I turned around and tried not to show my surprise with her use of my first name. "Thank you, again. Really. You didn't have to spend all your time with me looking for Humphrey. And...you didn't have to give me a ride home. I-I know I'm a pain in your ass, but I'm glad you helped me." I gave her a small smile, but she was too busy looking down at the muddy pawprints on her otherwise pristine hardwood floors.

"No problem, Vortex."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

I spent the remaining hours of Friday evening forcing Humphrey into the bathtub and trying to get him squeaky clean before my mom got home. I wasn't looking forward to that. Since it was the weekend, she was probably out to dinner or drinks with her friends and would hopefully be home late. I wrapped Humphrey in a towel to help dry him, but he shook it off immediately, spraying water all over the bathroom. He ran off in the direction of my bedroom. I sighed and prepared myself to start cleaning up the living room.

By the time I heard my mom opening the front door, I had already finished all my homework for the week and I thought about going through all the papers Mrs. Lawrence had given me, but I was too tired to deal with it. Humphrey was sprawled out on my bed, snoring softly. I went over to the window to close the curtains, pausing to look at the Neutron house. There was still a light on upstairs in Jimmy's room. I was a little surprised he wasn't in his lab instead and even more surprised that he was still awake. I glanced at the clock by my bed. It was nearly one am.

I laid down next to Humphrey and I was glad that he was home. As worried as I had been about him, I was almost grateful for the distraction looking for him brought. If it hadn't been for the hours I spent with Neutron running around in the rain looking for him, I would've spent the entire night thinking and worrying about the conversation I'd had with my dad and Princeton and my mother and _everything_. I hoped more than anything that William didn't tell my mother anything. I needed time to think about everything. Most of all, I still wanted to cry, but I forced the tears to stay where they were instead of falling.

To distract myself once more, I decided to think about how Jimmy Neutron and how odd it was he went out of his way to help me tonight. Sure he was a nice enough person to his friends and to pretty much everyone else, but we usually didn't get along. We tolerated each other at best. What was weirder was how I didn't mind him helping me. I'm not exactly sure how tonight would have turned out without him.

I couldn't believe I was thinking about Nerdtron in this way. He is my rival first and foremost, and I couldn't afford any kind of distraction right now. I needed to focus on actually trying to get scholarships so I could go to Princeton and live far away from Retroville for the rest of my life.

I closed my eyes and for some reason, even after I had just tried to talk myself out of thinking about James Isaac Neutron in any type of way, all I could see and feel was how he had held my hand and comforted me. It had been...nice.

I didn't have much trouble falling asleep that night.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Saturday morning, I briefly saw my mom as she was leaving for her yoga class and I was pouring myself a cup of coffee. She kissed me on the cheek and I reminded her I would be staying the night at Libby's (aka going to Betty's party) and would be back sometime tomorrow. She waved cheerily at me and left.

So, that was that. My former father hadn't told her anything. Not yet, anyway. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief for the time being - but I was a little shaken still. Worry was replaced by all the hurt feelings caused by the truth I had learned. Although I had just told myself I couldn't afford any more distractions, I was actually looking forward to going to Betty's party. I knew there was no use in dwelling in hurt feelings, but if I was still having a problem with it this morning then maybe a little dancing and mindless fun could help me, even if it only lasted a few hours.

Oh, and alcohol probably wouldn't hurt either. I wasn't a huge drinker. I did drink at a few parties here and there but I didn't go out very often.

I left for Libby's later that afternoon with an overnight bag stuffed with makeup, several outfits, and other necessities after Humphrey gave me a sloppy dog kiss and I made him promise to never run away again. Knowing Libby, any outfit I chose would probably need her personal touches and she wouldn't be happy if I only brought over one option for her to see. She was definitely the more stylish one.

I was welcomed into Libby's house by her mom and I quickly bounded the stairs to Libby's room.

"Heeeey girl! Are you ready for tonight?" She did a little jig, and I looked around the room, noticing the piles of clothes on the floor and on her bed. Possible outfit options, I'm sure.

"Well at the rate you're going here I'm not sure if we'll ever make it to the party," I said on a laugh.

She smiled but put a hand on her hip. "Hey, it takes a lot for this to happen!" She gestured to herself and to all the clothes piled on the bed.

"Sure, sure." I dropped my bag on the floor and plopped next to it, intending to start on my makeup. I had done nothing short of trying to keep myself busy all day long. I had walked Humphrey, did extra credit for some of my classes, organized my room, did laundry, and packed for tonight. I hadn't left a single second for myself to think about...things. Or certain people. "Are you sure your parents won't be mad if we go to a party tonight?"

"They are going out on a date tonight so they won't be home when we leave. And they will probably be asleep or still gone when we get back. I'm not too worried about it," she said distractedly, picking up a random shirt and holding it to her body before eyeing me. "Show me what you're gonna wear tonight."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Betty's house wasn't too far from Libby's, so we decided to walk instead of drive. That way we didn't have to worry about finding a ride home or leaving her car there. The night was surprisingly chilly for a late summer Texas evening, and I was starting to regret my - ahem, _Libby's_ \- outfit choice. She had forced me into a high-waisted black skirt that was flowy, but extremely short. She also chose a simple white top that was unfortunately cropped, leaving a small portion of my stomach between my shirt and skirt uncovered. I didn't think I looked bad, but I was a little uncomfortable with showing so much skin.

"Cindy, are you okay?" Libby broke me out thoughts. She had a worried look on her face.

I looked at her and smiled, "Of course, I'm fine! Why, what's up?"

"Well, you've just been kind of quiet all night. You didn't even start your usual tirade about 'Nerdtron and his nerd squad' when I mentioned meeting up with Carl, Sheen, and Jimmy. Do you not want to go to the party?" She used air quotes to put emphasis on her words and I felt a little ashamed. Did I really rant that much?

"I do want to go to the party. I just…" I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to tell anyone about what I found out yesterday. Libby was my best friend, and I knew she would be supportive, but I mostly didn't want to talk about it before I could process. "I'm just a little stressed out. I talked to my dad yesterday...my parents don't they will be able to afford Princeton."

I decided to go with a half truth because I would've felt bad lying to her. I couldn't tell her everything was fine. She already knew everything was _not_ fine no matter how much I tried to hide it. She knew me all too well.

"Oh my god Cindy, I'm sorry! I know how badly you want to go there. Is there another way?" Her concern made me feel a little better. It felt good to vent, even if was just a little.

"Well, I'm going to apply for every scholarship I can find. I'll apply to back up schools, of course. But I'm gonna make it there, I have to," I took a deep breath before I decided to drop another piece of news on her. "There's actually a huge scholarship I could win if I join the cheerleading squad. Tryouts are next week."

Libby's eyes got huge and she stared at me like I was an alien. "Cindy Vortex, _a cheerleader_? I cannot imagine you in that uniform," she tilted her head and looked at my outfit as I raised a brow. "Okay, maybe I can. I can't imagine you actually cheering, though. But if it's what you wanna do then I know you'll be great at it. Just like everything else."

She pulled me into a hug and I was so happy that I had such an amazing best friend. If I ever did make it to Princeton, I was making her come with me whether she liked it or not.

We both jumped when we heard a car honk at us. Said car pulled up to the curb next to the sidewalk where we were standing. I was having deja vu to yesterday when Jimmy had picked me up after school. The window rolled down and Sheen was leaning out the window excitedly.

"GET IN, GIRLS. LET'S GO PARTY."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

 _I know I'm a pain in your ass_. Cindy's words were on my mind most of Friday night after I returned home and I was still thinking about them on Saturday. What did that even mean, she knew she was a pain in my ass? I mean sure, she was...sometimes. She argued with me over everything and most of our childhood included her insulting me, competing with me, and trying to prove she was smarter. But it's not like I didn't welcome the competition or didn't fight back with her. It was a mutual thing we always had.

It was very much unlike Cindy to say something like that. She didn't admit to being wrong, or annoying, or anything less than perfect. Maybe it was an accident. Cindy also didn't usually spend a lot of time thanking me for anything, so maybe she said it as a mistake. But the more I thought about that theory, it didn't make much sense. In fact, none of the theories I could come up with made any sense at all. I couldn't quite figure her out. What else was new?

I was also still concerned with how I had found her yesterday; walking alone in the pouring rain, looking almost sad. That was even before she knew Humphrey was missing. Then there was yesterday when she was looking at all those papers in class, trying to hide them so no one could see. There seemed to be something going on with her and I had to admit to being curious. I really wanted to know what was wrong.

I don't really know why I was letting Cindy Vortex get under my skin so deeply. I helped her try to find her dog. She thanked me. She was being nice. That's it. It was also none of my business what did she did - even if she was walking around in the rain. I was personally invited to probably the most popular party of the year by objectively one of the hottest girls at school. I was a little nervous, but I would have Sheen and Carl - and Cindy and Libby - there with me. I could only hope I didn't make an ass of myself.

Sheen picked me up later that night with Carl already in the passenger seat. Carl was calm as could be, and it looked like he was flipping through Facebook on his phone. Sheen was nearly bouncing up and down in his seat.

"Hey dude are you ready for this? I'm so pumped. I told Libby and Cindy I could pick them up-" I perked up a little at this. I was a little nervous about Cindy possibly sitting next to me in Sheen's small ass car. Why was I nervous about that? "-but they said they would walk. I think tonight may be the night I ask Libby out officially."

Carl looked up from his phone. "Really Sheen? Don't you think Libby would prefer something more...romantic?"

"Yeah Sheen, you two will probably both be drinking. I doubt she would remember it tomorrow," I laughed, with Carl joining in.

Now that I was buckled in, Sheen accelerated quickly and took off towards Betty's house. He's a scary driver. "Shut up, both of you! I'm just nervous, okay? Maybe...maybe I'll kiss her tonight."

I sighed and Carl shook his head. There was really no use in trying to talk him out of anything. Suddenly, Carl pointed at something in the distance. "Is that Libby and Cindy right there?" I leaned over and peered out the passenger side window. I could see two dark figures standing on the sidewalk that did look like them.

Sheen practically shrieked and honked his horn. He stopped the car next to them and yelled at them out the window. I rolled my eyes, that nervous feeling starting to reappear in my stomach. I was nervous about the party, though. That had to be it. And maybe things would be just a little awkward between Cindy and I after last night. And that was fine, we would get over it.

The door opened on my opposite side and I could hear Libby giggling and Cindy grumbling.

"I don't know why I always have to ride bitch," she was muttering while sliding into the seat in the middle. I gulped when I realized she was going to be pressed right up next to me for the rest of the ride there. My hand, which had been resting on my leg, grazed the outside of her bare thigh just barely. Her skirt was...very short.

I must've been staring, because next thing I knew, Cindy was poking me in the arm. "Nerdtron, can't you scoot over a little? I may be short but there's not enough room back here." I glared at her and tried to scoot over a little. Libby got in and things got even more uncomfortable.

I didn't know what I was expecting. A quiet Cindy, a nicer Cindy, a smiling one, maybe. I should've expected this Cindy though - the annoyed, angry one. My reflex must not be working right today.

It was dark in the car, but I was able to catch glimpses of her profile as we drove under passing street lights. Her outfit was showing a lot more skin than usual, and I could see a lot of creamy, smooth-looking skin. Her hair fell over her shoulder softly and her face was accented with darker makeup than her what she wore most days. She definitely smelled good. I noticed lately she always wore the same perfume that sort of smelled like vanilla. She looked...beautiful.

I looked out the window quickly and tried to keep to my own private bubble even though it felt like I couldn't get away from Cindy. I could _not_ be thinking about her like that. It was just hormones and the tight quarters, I told myself. I could admit that Cindy was a pretty girl. _Hell, I would probably feel the same way if Libby were sitting next to me instead_ , I thought. But I'm not sure if I believed that.

I decided to think about Betty instead. Betty was definitely beautiful and I was going to see her in just a few minutes. And unlike Cindy, I knew she would greet me with a smile and she would actually hold a conversation with me instead of glaring at me.

Cindy was right. She was a pain in my ass.

Suddenly, I felt a soft sensation on my hand that still rested on my leg. I looked down and Cindy's hand was also on her lap, and it looked like she was trying to fix her skirt and her hand had just grazed mine by mistake. Instead of moving her hand back again, she left it where it was, her fingers touching mine lightly but the feeling was most definitely there. I dared a glance up to her face and she was...smiling? She wasn't looking at me, just staring straight ahead.

I decided to do an experiment. I pressed the back of my hand into hers more firmly, not quite trying to hold hers or push it away, but just solidifying the contact. I fully expected her to pull her hand away and yell at me. Instead, her hand stayed. She looked at me, and I was sucked into her green eyes, which were bright even in the dark of the car. She was still smiling and still not moving her hand away from me. I could distinctly feel my heart pound in my chest harder than it needed to. Eye contact between us was only brief before Cindy turned more towards Libby and said something about school. I wasn't really listening.

I was more focused on her soft hand that was still touching mine.


	4. drinkin' problem

**This chapter is a whopper, and I appreciate anyone who has the time and patience to read it! I would've had it up yesterday but I was honestly struggling with writing the last few scenes. I hope everyone likes it, and please leave a constructive review if you didn't! This chapter starts out with Jimmy's POV - most of the chapter is in his POV, actually. All I gotta say is - damn Betty. ;)**

 **Dangerous**

My nerves skyrocketed as Sheen clumsily parked on the street outside of Betty's house. I got out quickly, ready to breathe in some fresh air and distance myself a little from the blonde that had been sitting next to me. I waited for everyone to get out of the car and Cindy just gave me an odd look.

"Wow, there's a lot of people here," Libby commented. She was right. There were several cars parked on the street in front of us and even more in the driveway. I could hear the low bass from the music coming from the house and the chatter from all the people inside. My nerves started to disappear slowly as I thought more about the party - it's not like I had never been to a party before. I had already proved to myself I could talk to Betty without making a fool of myself because I had done it all summer. Sure, these were different circumstances, but I just knew everything would be fine.

Everyone had started walking towards the house while I was deep in thought. I ran to catch up to them. "Hey! We need to make a plan," I insisted.

They all turned around and I was met with several annoyed looks.

"Jimmy, c'mon! We don't need to do this every time we go somewhere other than school!" Sheen exclaimed.

"What do you mean by a plan?" Libby inquired.

"I just think it's best that since we all came together, we can decide who is going to be designated driver and what time we should leave," I explained. I didn't know why they were being so angry about it, I thought it was a great idea.

Libby just laughed. "Haven't you heard of going with the flow?"

"Are you serious? This is Nerdtron we are talking about here," Cindy cut in. "He wouldn't know how to go with the flow even if he invented the concept himself. Oh, I have an idea! Why don't you be designated driver, since you brought it up?" She tapped her chin with a finger and pretended to look like she was deep in thought, smirking at me all the while.

I glared at her. "I was going to say we could play an elimination game or something-"

Cindy was already shaking her head at me. "Libby and I already decided we were going to walk to her house after the party anyway, so we are going inside now…" she trailed off and grabbed Libby's arm, obviously intending to walk away.

I took another glance - probably longer than an actual glance - at Cindy's outfit, taking note of her short skirt and the cool breeze I could feel. "No," I said flatly. "No one is walking home. We are going to decide right now."

Like always, something I had brought up to the group had turned into a personal argument between Cindy and I. I could practically feel the collective eye roll from Libby, Sheen, and Carl.

Cindy whirled back around and narrowed her eyes at me. "What do you mean _no_? That wasn't something that was up for debate, Nerdtron."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Carl beat me to it. "Guys, I will drive us home. I don't really feel like drinking anyway. It's not a big deal, and if you girls feel like walking I'm sure you'd be fine too." He gave me a pointed look and I suddenly felt a little bad.

I knew trying to tell Cindy Vortex what to do wasn't a good idea. But the idea of her walking home late at night in the cold while possibly drunk didn't settle well with me.

Libby sighed, "Are you sure, Carl? We want you to have fun, too. We can just choose straws or something like Jimmy suggested so it's fair."

He shrugged. "Like I said, I don't really want to drink. I might as well drive home."

Sheen nodded frantically, taking Libby's hand and pulling her down the sidewalk. "He's definitely sure! Thanks man!"

Carl started walking behind them and yelled at Sheen, "You can be DD next time!"

I wasn't too happy about the way the conversation ended but I decided to let it go. Then, I remembered something. "Wait, we need to decide what time we are leaving!" I called after them.

"Give a rest, Neutron," Cindy muttered, crossing her arms. She turned on her heel and walked away from me. As annoying as she was, I didn't want to walk into the party alone. I caught up with her easily and she glanced at me with surprise showing on her features. Her arms were still crossed but she didn't look angry at me anymore.

"Are you cold? You can have my jacket, if you want," I offered somewhat awkwardly. I was still thinking about her hand touching mine in the car. That had been the longest five minutes of my life but...not in a bad way.

She just raised a brow at me. "I'm fine...thanks though. I think if you keep giving me jackets at the rate you have been, you won't have any left," she said with a slight smile.

I just laughed. We reached the front door then, where the other three were waiting on us. Libby grinned at us and grabbed Cindy's hand excitedly, opening the door to Betty's house.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It didn't take long for the five of us to split up. I was immediately on the lookout for Betty but didn't see her right away. I was slightly disappointed. For some reason, I had expected her to be the first one to greet us. Sheen saw a few of his soccer teammates where they were gathered around a table playing beer pong and took off without a second glance. So much for trying to romance Libby tonight. I glanced at her and she had an annoyed expression on her face.

Suddenly, a tall guy wearing a letterman's jacket appeared next to us, holding two red solo cups in his hands. "Hello ladies," He was looking down at Cindy and Libby and grinning. He handed each of them a cup. Libby took a sip immediately, and Cindy looked at him warily.

"Do I know you?" I had to turn my head slightly so I could hide my laugh at that.

"My name is Bryan, and I am the alcohol supplier for this party, if you will. I saw you two come in and just knew I had to say to the most beautiful ladies here," he said, still smiling. I wasn't sure who this guy was, but he was annoying. Cindy just rolled her eyes.

Finally, Bryan acknowledged Carl and I for the first time. "Hey dudes," he nodded at us. "There's beer in the kitchen." Then he walked away.

"Well, that was weird," Libby declared. "Let's go dance." She tugged on Cindy's hand and they disappeared into another room.

I sighed. It was going to be a long night.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I finally found Betty in the kitchen a little while later while searching for the drinks. Carl had disappeared just moments before. His love of llamas has led him to working at a local farm near Retroville that of course, has llamas. He had ran into his coworker on the way to the kitchen and I didn't stick around to talk. I was too anxious to find a more familiar face.

There was another beer pong table set up there and she seemed to be watching the game. She smiled at me widely as I approached her. "Jimmy, you made it! I was hoping you would," she said warmly.

"Well, of course. It seems like the entire population of Retroville is here," I commented. There were people everywhere. Betty's house was huge and so far everyone room I had been in seemed to be at max capacity. I could even catch a glimpse of the back yard through the kitchen window where even more people were hanging out.

She laughed. "I don't know how these things always get so out of hand. I definitely didn't invite all these people."

She asked if I wanted to play the next round of beer pong with her, and I agreed even though I had never played. Since I'd seen the game being played many times before, I figured it couldn't be too hard. She introduced me to a few of her friends and they were all seniors that I had seen at school but never talked to. They seemed nice. I wondered, for a moment, where my friends were.

I didn't have to worry for long, because Libby burst into the kitchen with Cindy in a tow just a moment later.

"Are you ready to play?' Betty's voice in my ear was so close I nearly jumped. I looked towards her and she was still smiling prettily.

"Sure," I said, and she handed me a small ball.

Cindy and Libby were filling their cups up from the large punch bowl sitting on the counter. I had no doubt that it was a sickly-sweet tasting concoction that had way too much alcohol in it. I noticed Cindy's cheeks were tinged pink but I didn't know if it was from the alcohol or the dancing she had been doing.

"Hey girls, you should play against us!" Betty called out to them suddenly, and Cindy and Libby looked over at us curiously.

I was surprised that Betty was trying to interact with them at all, especially after the seat incident on Thursday. I was worried Cindy would be a bitch to Betty and make things awkward.

Luckily, I didn't seem to have much to worry about, because Libby nodded her head and Cindy just smiled at me innocently.

"I'm going to kick your ass, Neutron."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Two and a half rounds of beer pong later and seven refills of that damned punch between the four of us of later, Betty and I were losing miserably. We had beat Cindy and Libby in the first round, and since Cindy was apparently unable to accept defeat, she demanded we do best two out of three games as winner instead. They had won the second round. I had a strong feeling they would win this round and I could tell by the mischievous look in Cindy's eye that she knew it, too. Damn her.

It had been quite awhile since Cindy and I had competed against each other. We still compared grades for tests on occasion but I was still banned from most school science fairs and as we have grown older, the competition aspect of our relationship was less prominent. Cindy seemed more focused on doing her own thing these days, although the amount of jabs she took towards my "big nerdy head" had only decreased slightly in the past few years. This competition was a little different than our academic ones but it was heated just the same. Plenty of witty jabs had been thrown back and forth between us and I had to admit...I was having a lot of fun. We were also hogging the table so no one else could play, but since it was Betty's party, I guessed no one else minded. Quite a crowd had formed around us, obviously entertained.

I had forgotten the thrill of what it felt like to go toe-to-toe verbally and mentally with Cindy Vortex.

I was about to throw what I had hoped would be a successful shot, when Cindy waved her arms frantically. "Wait, wait, wait!" I stopped and looked at her. "I really need to go to the bathroom. Don't play without me!" And then she took off out of the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes and yelled after her, "You're just stalling, Vortex!" The group of people that had been around us started to disperse slowly.

I turned to Betty and she was looking at me intensely. I started to feel a little lightheaded and I didn't know if it was from her looking at me or the amount of "punch" I had consumed in the past hour. Either way, I probably needed to slow down.

"You two always have some sort of rivalry going on," she said, sounding amused. I wanted to kick myself. Here I was, at Betty's Quinlan's party, and spending all my time obsessed with winning a game against Cindy Vortex. I definitely remembered the "one-on-one talk" Betty had mentioned the other day, too. Hopefully she hadn't changed her mind about that.

I laughed slightly and scratched my neck nervously. "Heh, yeah, I'm sorry about that. She truly does bring out the worst in me."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Libby staring at us with narrowed eyes. I didn't really know why she would be angry, though. "I'm going to go make sure Cindy's okay," she said as she walked out of the room.

"Hey, I think it's pretty entertaining. But maybe we should give up on the game for now," suddenly a wicked grin formed on her face and she grabbed my hand confidently. "I want to play a different game, actually."

And just like that, she was leading me down into her basement and I had no choice but to follow her.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

As I was finishing up washing my hands in one of the many upstairs bathrooms in Betty's house, I glanced at myself in the mirror. I felt a little drunker than I probably should be. It was still pretty early in the evening. But I had to admit that this party was way more fun that I thought it would be, even if most of my time had been consumed by trying to beat Nerdtron at a stupid game. But I was winning, so that's all that matters. I took my time to smooth my hair and try to lessen the redness of my cheeks by fanning them, but there was no use. I suddenly heard a sharp knock on the door. I rolled my eyes, knowing it was probably some horny couple wanting some privacy.

"Just a second," I called out. The longer I took, the angrier Neutron would be when I came downstairs. Therefore, the worse he would play. The thought of his angry expression almost made me laugh aloud.

The person on the other side of the door knocked a second time, this time longer. Extremely annoyed, I opened the door quickly and there stood Libby, and my annoyance disappeared.

"Girl what's taking you so long? I had to search through like, eight bathrooms to find you. I couldn't stand to be in the kitchen alone with Jimmy and Betty anymore and watch them make googly eyes at each other," she grabbed my shoulders and shook them slightly, making me laugh.

"Don't be so dramatic, Libby. I doubt they were making _googly eyes_ at each other. And I didn't realize that was a term that people still use, by the way," I laughed at her as we made our way down the stairs.

She gave me a mock glare and stopped me briefly as we landed on the bottom stair. "By the way, are you doing okay?"

I immediately waved her question off with my hand. I didn't - couldn't - think about my dad and Princeton right now. I was feeling too warm, bubbly, and happy for that. I wanted the moment to last as long as I could make it. "I'm fine, I'm going to figure something out for Princeton."

"No, I was talking about Jimmy and Betty. Are you okay with...them?"

I was suddenly all too aware of the party happening around us. I couldn't even begin to formulate a proper response to her question. Why did she think she needed to ask that question and more importantly - why didn't I know the answer right away? The answer should be yes, I was okay with it. I was definitely fine with whoever Jimmy Neutron spent his romantic time with. Because it was none of my business.

But I thought about how he had pressed his hand into mine in the car on the way here earlier and I felt...empty.

Luckily, I didn't need to respond to the question, because Sheen appeared in front of us. "Hey guys! We are starting a very interesting game in the basement if you wanna join." He rubbed his hands together mischievously and waggled his eyebrows.

I spoke up quickly.

"We would love to."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

I wasn't entirely sure how I had gotten myself into this situation. I was anxious the entire time Betty had led me down to her basement, and even more so when I realized we were going to be playing spin the bottle. I had never played this game, nor had I ever planned on playing it in my lifetime but I felt like I didn't have a choice. At first I thought Betty had brought me down here to talk, but Nick and Brittany were already down here and they were the ones who suggested we play the game. The rest felt like a blur. All I knew was that there was a very likely chance that I could kiss Betty Quinlan tonight.

So now I was seated next to her on the ground, with Sheen, Libby, Brittany Tenelli, Nick Dean, Carl, and Cindy making up the rest of the circle. Cindy was sitting on her knees directly across from me, hands fiddling with the hem of her skirt. She had a blank look on her face. Sheen had dragged Libby and Cindy down here once he had found me and realized what was happening. I knew he wanted to kiss Libby. I glanced at Carl, who was next to Cindy, and he definitely looked uneasy.

"Hey party people," unfamiliar voice called out. I turned around and saw it was Bryan, the guy that had greeted us at the door. He was carrying a nearly full bottle of what looked like vodka and several plastic shot glasses. He handed everyone a full shot and I glanced at Betty, who didn't look happy that this guy was here. "I heard you needed a bottle for a game but you didn't say whether it needed to be empty or not," he joked, eliciting a laugh from a few people.

He squeezed between Cindy and Carl, who both scooted over to make room for him. "You're playing?" Betty asked, her tone incredulous.

He just shrugged. "Of course, why wouldn't I?" Betty didn't reply. I noticed she didn't seem too fond of Bryan. I wondered if there was some sort of history there.

I glanced over at him in time to catch him pouring Cindy another shot, who smiled at him. I wanted to rip that bottle out of his hands. Her eyes were a little glassy and only an idiot wouldn't be able to notice that she didn't need anymore to drink.

Bryan set the now half-empty bottle in the middle and grinned. "So who wants to go first?"

The circle was quiet for a moment, except for Brittany's giggle.

"I'll go!" Sheen broke the silence and spun the bottle, landing on...Carl. "Damn it, I'm not kissing Carl!" Everyone laughed.

"If you land on someone of the same sex and neither want to kiss, then the next person can go. Or, I guess, you can go again," Betty told him. He sighed and shrugged towards Cindy, who was on his left.

"Who wants another shot?" Bryan said. Several people, including Cindy and Sheen, took one. I just shook my head when the bottle was passed my way.

Cindy leaned forward in order to spin the bottle and I was too focused on Bryan's wandering eyes that had landed on Cindy to notice that the bottle had landed right on me. I noticed a second after everyone else did, after realizing they were all staring at me. Alarmed, I looked straight at Cindy, who had an undecipherable expression on her face.

After we sat staring at each other without moving for a few long moments, Libby started laughing, "Old bitter rivals come together in a new way. C'mon, scaredy cats."

"KISS!" Sheen pumped his fist in the air. I rolled my eyes. I wanted to see Betty's expression but I was too scared to look at her. Cindy still hadn't said or done anything.

"Oh just get it over with already. It's not like it hasn't happened before," Nick said quietly, nudging Brittany in the side so she could join in laughing at his joke. She did laugh, but I'm not sure if she actually knew what was going on.

I felt like I was frozen. I knew everyone else here wanted us to kiss so we could move on with the game. But that didn't say anything about Betty or Cindy. With the way Cindy was acting, she was probably unhappy that she gotten me.

Suddenly, Betty spoke up. "If you two really don't want to, it's okay. Cindy can spin again."

I knew she had said that to relieve some of the tension in the room and to possibly make me feel better, but it had the opposite effect. It made me think that she didn't _want_ Cindy and I to kiss.

Cindy let out a harsh breath, like she was extremely annoyed. "Oh my god. Let's do this Nerdtron." She crawled forward a bit and grabbed the front of my shirt in one fluid move, and I was forced to lean forward too; even while sitting she was still way shorter than me. We were barely an inch away from each other and all I could see was her green eyes. I didn't even have a chance to think about what was happening before her lips were on mine. My eyes slipped closed automatically.

Cindy tasted like cheap vodka, pineapple juice, and another sweetness that I didn't recognize. Her lips were warm and soft, and I put a hand on her cheek the second I started to feel them disconnect from mine after just a few seconds. I was pretty sure that the kisses in these games were only supposed to last for a couple seconds anyway, but it felt like we had surpassed that now. However, the passing of time wasn't what I was concerned with. I wanted her closer. I could only smell vanilla perfume and feel Cindy's warm, smooth cheek under my hand. At the exact second that I felt her mouth open against mine, her tongue just barely touching my lips, my brain started to short-circuit. I heard a cough somewhere next to me and remembered where I was and who we were with. I pulled away quickly. My lips tingled distinctly.

Sheen was laughing so hard I swore he was crying, "You two are priceless. I can't believe this."

I looked around and saw Libby and Carl share a look that I didn't understand. Nick just rolled his eyes again and Brittany seemed bored. Once again, I didn't dare look at Betty. I felt...guilty. But for what? It was just a game that most people our age played. I highly doubted that Betty thought of me as anything more than a friendly classmate or acquaintance. Maybe she thought it was funny, too.

I did sneak a look at Cindy though. Her cheeks were pink and I had a feeling it wasn't from all the shots she took. Other than that, she looked normal. She glanced up at me but quickly looked away.

Shit.

The game continued, with Bryan spinning next. I still felt like I couldn't really think straight. I definitely didn't want to be playing this game anymore. Bryan's spin landed on Cindy and a wolfish grin appeared on his face. Before Cindy could even do anything, he was grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her into him. After only a second or two of them kissing, Cindy pushed him away and rolled her eyes. I felt a form of satisfaction at her reaction but I tried not to think about it why I felt that way. I finally dared to glance at Betty, but she looked calm and relaxed.

Unfortunately, I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

Carl's spin landed on Brittany. She giggled the entire time and Carl blushed deeply. Then it was Betty's turn. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until we heard a crash upstairs and I let the air out of my lungs slowly. It sounded like something expensive had been smashed into more than just a few pieces.

"That can't be good," Nick said lightly.

Betty shot up and ran upstairs, with Nick, Brittany, and Bryan following her, probably to witness the chaos.

"Well I guess the game is over," Sheen said while shooting a disappointed look at Libby that she didn't catch.

"Maybe I should go help," I said and quickly ran upstairs, ignoring the odd looks I received from my friends.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Someone had bumped into the fireplace in Betty's living room, knocking over a vase that had been placed on the mantle. I helped her clean up the pieces and she smiled at me gratefully. I was relieved that she didn't seem mad at me.

I heard the music resume its loud tempo as we took the trash outside on the side of Betty's house. I knew that this was the perfect moment to say something.

"This party is turning out to be way more interesting than I had imagined," I said, hoping it wasn't the wrong thing to say. Maybe making light of the situation was the best possible option.

Betty giggled and I was relieved. "You're definitely right about that one. I'm considering staying out here for the rest of the evening."

"I hope you aren't...mad about what happened in there." I said slowly.

It was dark outside, but I could still see Betty's face by the light of the moon and stars. She quirked an eyebrow at me but she was still smiling. "Oh you mean that kiss?"

I nodded and looked down, unsure of what to say next. She continued, "Of course I'm not mad. It's just a game, silly." She put her hand, which was cold but soft, on my arm and squeezed. "Jimmy, I want to be honest with you."

I looked up at her. "You-you do? Honest about what?"

A shy expression unfolded on her face. "Well, I invited you to my party tonight because I had such a good time with you this summer...and I wanted that to continue."

"I want that, too. To be honest myself, I didn't think we would become such close friends like we have," I said. She nodded, her short, dark hair moving along her shoulders.

"Sure, friends. I was actually hoping you sort of…," she trailed off and moved in closer to me, still holding onto my arm. "...felt a little more than just friendly towards me."

Once again, I was suddenly tongue-tied and confused. "Is that how you feel about me? More than friends?"

Instead of answering me directly, she just smiled at me. She had moved in even closer now. "Let's just say I was really hoping for the bottle to land on you earlier so I could do this."

Then she kissed me. And unlike Cindy, Betty was gentle and slow and there was no tongue. I slid a hand onto her hip and scolded myself in my head for even thinking about Cindy right now. I was just starting to settle into Betty's kiss when she pulled away, and smiled at me.

"I should probably go inside now and make sure everything is going okay. But first, hand me your phone." Without a word, I slid my phone out of my pocket and handed it to her. After a moment, she handed it back to me. "Now you have my number. Call me." She gave me a small kiss on my cheek and disappeared around the house.

I stared down at the new contact in my phone with near disbelief. I didn't get a chance to process the gravity of what had just happened when a new contact popped up on the screen - Libby was calling me. I cleared my throat and answered.

"Jimmy? Where are you?"

"I just stepped outside for a minute but I'm coming back in now. Are you guys ready to leave?"

"Actually, I need your help."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

I wasn't sure what time it was when I found myself in the same bathroom as before; but this time I was throwing up. I vaguely remember grabbing the vodka bottle from the basement floor and sharing it with Brittany and Nick upstairs. I remember dancing and laughing with them. I don't remember how I got up here, but I was grateful that I had managed to make it to a toilet instead of throwing up anywhere else. I was pretty sure that puking on Betty's expensive carpeted floors would mean I wasn't ever allowed to go to another party here.

Not that I planned on ever coming back. So far, this party has been a shitshow.

I flushed the toilet and thought about getting up and trying to find Libby or Carl or someone who could take me home, but I didn't want to get up. The cold, tile floor felt good. Maybe I could just lie down…

I could hear the familiar buzzing of my phone somewhere close to me, but the room was still spinning so I didn't open my eyes to find it. I was definitely never drinking this much again.

I cracked open an eye when I heard the bathroom door open softly. From my position on the floor, I could only see the new occupant of the room upside down. It was Bryan, and he was smiling.

"Wow, you've had a fun night, huh?" He leaned in the doorway and I attempted to scowl at him.

"Go away."

"Don't you want some help?" He asked.

"Yeah, you could hand me my phone...wherever it is," I said, reaching my hand into the air so he could place my phone in it.

"I was thinking more along the lines of getting you off the ground, but okay," he picked my phone off the counter and handed it to me. I had to close one eye in order to see the screen straight. I had four missed calls. Three from Libby, one from Jimmy, and at least six text messages that I knew I couldn't read right now. I decided to call Libby back. She answered after the first ring.

"Cindy! Where are you? I've been looking for you for like, an hour now. You didn't leave the party, did you?" She sounded frantic and I felt a little bad for not answering my phone earlier. I knew that Sheen and Libby had something going on, and I didn't feel offended when she left with him shortly after spin the bottle had ended. At that moment, I knew I needed a distraction from everything so that's why I had grabbed the vodka bottle - and that's how I ended up in the predicament I was in now.

"Sorry Libby. I didn't leave. I'm in a bathroom...somewhere," I finished lamely, and watched Bryan shake his head at me, obviously amused. I flipped him off and his smile grew.

"You're upstairs, first room to the left," his stage-whispered. I relayed the information to Libby.

"Great, I'll have Jimmy come get you. He's closer. I'll meet you guys outside!"

"No wait! Can't you just come up here-" I tried arguing, but she had already hung up. Damn. Looks like I was going to come face-to-face to the person I had been avoiding all night. Up until now, I had shoved our little kiss into the back of mind to think about...hopefully never.

I had to get off this floor before Neutron could see me like this and rub it into my face that I was a lightweight. It was bad enough that Bryan was still standing there and laughing at my condition.

"Don't you have anything better to do than stand there and be annoying?" I grumbled at him and searched for something I could grab to help myself up. So far I only had the toilet (ew) and the counter as options.

Bryan just laughed again. "You know, you're really kind of mean. But I like it. Here, I'll help you up," he stepped further inside the bathroom so I was no longer seeing him upside down, and started to reach for my hands.

"What's going on in here?" A new, familiar voice chimed in from behind me. Damn, _again_. It was Jimmy.

I looked up at him upside down but wasn't sure what to say. Suddenly, this entire situation was very funny to me and I started to laugh.

I could hear Jimmy sigh but Bryan was laughing again too, "Don't worry man, I got this. I think she just needs some water and she will be good to go." He grabbed a hold of my hands and tried pulling me up but I felt like a ragdoll. Not to mention, I was still laughing uncontrollably.

Well, this was embarrassing.

Jimmy just ignored him and put his hands under my arms and stood me up. "Woah, I don't like being vertical," I said. The room wasn't spinning any more than it was before but I didn't feel like laughing anymore.

"Unfortunately you'll need to be vertical for awhile, at least until we get you home," I could _feel_ rather than _hear_ Jimmy's deep voice, considering that my back was pressed up against his chest.

"I don't want to go home," my own voice sounded high-pitched and frightened, and it didn't sound like my voice at all. I didn't want to go home to my mom. She had a way of finding out everything and if I went home now, she would know I had been drinking and I would be getting the lecture of the year.

Bryan was watching us with narrowed eyes, "She doesn't want to leave with you, man. She wants to stay here."

I didn't even know this guy, and I didn't want to stay here. I opened my mouth to say this myself, but Jimmy beat me to it.

"No," I immediately recognized the arrogant, take-no-shit tone of voice Neutron had perfected over the years. Usually it annoyed the hell out of me, but right now I was actually kind of grateful for it. "She doesn't need your help and she's coming with me."

"Who even are you?"

"I'm one of her best friends," Jimmy said easily, and the statement stuck in my head immediately, repeating itself over and over again. Then, Jimmy said to me quietly, "You're going to Libby's, remember?" I nodded and felt relieved. I couldn't believe I had forgot. "Do you think you can walk?" I nodded again but I wasn't actually sure. Either way, he was setting me up completely on my feet and I just hoped I didn't fall.

Luckily for me, I was able to walk out of the room with only a little help from Neutron's hand on my back. We left Bryan and the rest of the party behind.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

Libby was standing next to Sheen's car, tapping her foot impatiently. Carl was leaning on the car patiently and Sheen was nowhere to be seen.

Cindy had tripped a little going down the porch stairs and nearly fell down, laughing the entire time. I shook my head at her and let her hold onto my arm for the rest of the way.

When Libby spotted - or more like heard Cindy's maniacal laughter - she rolled her eyes. "Do I even want to know what you've been up to?"

"Do I even want to to know what you two lovebirds have been-wait, where's Sheen?" Cindy said.

"He said he has to say goodbye to everyone he talked to before he leaves," Libby said with a laugh. "Are you okay? Did you throw up?"

I decided to answer for her, "Judging by the fact that I found her lying on the bathroom floor, I would say no, she's not okay and yes, she did throw up. But don't worry, she's still the same annoying Vortex as always." Cindy glared at me and let go of my arm immediately.

"For the record, Nerdtron, I could've gotten out of that bathroom just fine by myself. I didn't need anyone's help. Especially not yours," she said while pointing at me, still glaring.

"Oh sure, like you wouldn't have accepted help from that Bryan guy," I muttered.

"I didn't ask him for help! He just showed up!" She yelled.

"Can you two not fight right now? Please?" Carl spoke up. I didn't say anything else and Libby forced Cindy to get into the car, shutting the door behind her. Then, she turned to me.

"Come on, Jimmy. I'm sure with that big brain of yours you know better than to egg her on like that when she's been drinking," she said.

"Why is this my fault? I didn't force her to drink that much!" I said defensively. I was starting to regret even volunteering to help Libby find Cindy. I could have declined and caught up with Betty again, who was most likely not puking or yelling at anyone right now.

Libby stepped closer to me and lowered her voice, "She's had a rough week, okay? Usually I would be angry at her for drinking so much, too. But for now I think she just needs us to be understanding."

I nodded slowly. I remembered how in the bathroom I had mentioned going home and the desperate sound of her voice when she had said she didn't want to go there. "What happened?"

"If she wanted you to know, she would tell you," Libby shrugged. I was about to speak up and say how unfair that was because there's no way Cindy Vortex was going to tell me anything, but we were interrupted by Sheen running towards us.

"Hey guys! That was some party, wasn't it?"

He was definitely right about that.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Less than fifteen minutes later, I was standing outside with Cindy while Libby went inside to make sure that her parents were asleep and the two of them could sneak in successfully. Carl was currently driving to McDonald's upon Sheen's request. I had declined riding along so I could help out with the girls just in case Cindy threw up again. Luckily, she hadn't yet.

Cindy wasn't speaking to me but I didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or if she was really that angry with me. Either way, I still felt a twinge of guilt as I looked at her standing next to me. She looked small; with her arms crossed tightly to ward off the cold.

 _She was right about the jacket thing_ , I thought as I started to take mine off. I wasn't going to have any left if this kept happening. I settled the jacket around her shoulders and she looked at me. "You don't have to do that," she said quietly.

"Are you trying to tell me you're not cold?" I said jokingly, but she didn't laugh or even smile - just looked at the ground. "Look, Vortex, I know you're pissed at me but-"

"Am I annoying?" She said quickly, like she was trying to rip off a bandaid.

"Uh...what?"

"You called me annoying earlier. Do you really think I am?"

I had no idea how to answer and I cursed the rest of the group for leaving us alone together. The twinge of guilt I had felt earlier bloomed into a full on lump in my stomach. "No, actually...you're not really that annoying, Cindy. Except for maybe when you're insulting the size of my head."

She nodded thoughtfully as if I were trying to give her the answer to a particularly difficult math problem. "I'm sorry you feel like you have to help me. Again."

"Is everything okay? Other than the fact that you might be only a few hours away from a wicked hangover, something just seems off with you," I said slowly, hoping that she didn't take offense.

She shifted her feet uncomfortably. "Everything's fine, Neutron," she said tiredly.

I knew there would be no pushing her for an answer. Cindy Vortex was like a mysterious, unmovable force. A very stubborn one, too. I could already tell she was going to be putting an emotional defense wall up between the two of us soon. I had the sudden urge to bring up the kiss but the questions I had didn't seem productive for a conversation between the two of us: _Why did you kiss me like that? Why did I like it so much?_

For all I knew, she hadn't thought twice about the kiss.

"Did you mean the other thing that you said earlier?" Cindy's voice cut through my thoughts. I racked my brain trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"Please enlighten me."

"You told Bryan you were one of my best friends."

Oh, that. I had said that without even really thinking. We _were_ friends. Best friends was a little bit of a stretch, but I had just wanted to get her away from the creep that was definitely way too old for her. "We are friends, Cindy."

"Best friends?" Again, I wanted to ask her why it was so important to her, but I remembered what Libby had said about Cindy needing understanding so I kept my mouth shut except to answer her question.

"Yes. Best friends. We will have to continue our game of beer pong, by the way. I'm definitely going to kick your ass next time."

I looked at her once more, and she was smiling now, her green eyes lighting up. _Think about Betty, think about Betty_ , I told myself, but there was really no use.

All I could think about was kissing Cindy Vortex.


	5. what lovers do

**Hi everyone! I'm surprised by the amount of follows, favorites, and traffic this story gets! Just please remember to leave a review if you like this story, it definitely encourages me to write faster ;) This chapter is less exciting than the last of course, but it'll pick up again soon. I have something interesting drama planned!**

 **I post info about updates and musical inspiration for this story on my profile quite frequently so be sure to check there if you ever get anxious about an update! Jimmy's POV starts this chapter. Enjoy!**

 **Dangerous**

Carl and Sheen had picked me up just a few minutes after Libby and Cindy had went in for the night and it took them a total of 4.2 seconds to start asking me questions from the moment I slid into the backseat of the car.

"So," Sheen started, his voice muffled as he chewed on some french fries. "What was up with that kiss?"

"Which one?" I asked quietly, not really thinking. Unfortunately I had said it too loud for either of them to ignore. Carl made eye contact with me in the rear view mirror and I coughed uncomfortably.

Sheen whirled around and stared at me, spilling half of his fries along the way. "What do you mean _which one_? I was talking about the vomit-inducing make-out sesh you had with Cindy Vortex. What other kiss is there?"

"Okay, I don't appreciate you calling anything I do _vomit-inducing_. And well, uh...Betty sort of kissed me tonight, too," I said.

Sheen punched Carl in the arm, who rubbed it gingerly and glared at him. "Can you believe this shit?! I stress all night about kissing Libby, my one true love, and this guy over here," Sheen jabbed his thumb in my direction. "Gets kissed by two girls in one night! Unbelievable."

"You need to calm down," I said whilst rolling my eyes.

"BOY GENIUSES HAVE ALL THE LUCK!"

"Did you at least get to kiss Libby?" Carl inquired.

A smug smile appeared on Sheen's face, "Sure did, buddy. And we have a date next weekend." He pretended to brush dirt off his shoulders, the smug look on his face growing by the second.

I couldn't help but smile. "Congrats, man. Not sure why you are giving me such a hard time for kissing _anyone_ considering you got to kiss Libby, but okay."

Sheen ignored my comment and Carl just laughed.

After getting dropped off at my house and successfully sneaking in without waking up my parents, I laid in bed and stared at my phone in my hand, wondering if it was too soon to text Betty. It probably was. She would probably think I was desperate.

I set my phone down on my nightstand and shut my eyes. I wasn't sure how long I laid there waiting for sleep to come, but I knew it was a long time. Every dream I had that night featured a spinning bottle.

 _-_ 0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

I woke up slowly on Sunday morning, not sure what time it was. Judging by the harsh sunlight coming through Libby's curtains it would have to be late morning or early afternoon. I must have passed out on Libby's floor last night because that's where I was currently laying. My head was pounding and my mouth was drier than a desert. I groaned and shoved my face into the pillow, trying to block out any and all light.

"Good morning sleeping beauty!" Libby said much too loudly. I peeked at her and she was standing in her doorway, holding the holy grail for hangovers: water and aspirin. She handed both to me and I took them gratefully. "You wanna talk about last night?"

I almost choked on my water. "Which part of it?" I asked carefully.

"Well, we could go in chronological order and start off with that massive kiss you laid on Neutron, continue with how wasted you were, and then finish with how you were in the bathroom - alone - with Bryan." She sat on the edge of her bed and crossed her arms, quirking a brow at me.

I took my time drinking the glass of water in order to stall but she didn't cave. "Okay, how about none of the above?"

It was then that I realized that I hadn't even changed out of last night's clothes, but I was wearing a dark blue jacket that looked and smelled oddly familiar. I looked down at myself and then up at Libby, "Please tell me this doesn't belong to Nerdtron."

This time, both of her eyebrows went up. "You don't remember?" I shook my head and she shrugged.

"If you don't want to talk about last night - which you eventually will because I'm your best friend - do you want to hear about what happened between Sheen and I?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Libby excitedly told me how Sheen had kissed her and asked her out on a date, and I relayed my congratulations even though I knew Libby could do way better than Sheen. I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate me saying that. I quickly showered and changed so my mom wouldn't suspect that her only daughter was out late drinking the night before.

After hearing all the juicy gossip about anyone and everyone that had been at the party last night, I took off for home even though I didn't want to. Surely by now William would have told her what I knew, and I was dreading the confrontation. Maybe it was for the best. It might bring me one step closer to figuring out how I was going to pay for Princeton, anyway.

I pulled up to my house and spared a glance at the Neutron house across the street, but it looked like no one was home. Which was probably a good thing, since I was still wearing Jimmy's jacket.

It was easy to avoid thinking about last night because I couldn't remember most of it. I do remember playing beer pong, dancing, and kissing Jimmy but everything afterward is mostly fuzzy. I don't remember how or why I had his jacket or if we had talked about the kiss but I wasn't planning on ever finding out, either. One night of fun has caused a million more distracting thoughts that I didn't need.

Upon entering my house, I was attacked by Humphrey, who gave me many dog kisses. I set off to find my mom, who I found lounging in the living room reading a book. I set my bag down by the couch and sat down next to her, internally preparing myself for the biggest conversation of my life.

She glanced at me and smiled, marking the page in her book. "How was Libby's?"

I was stunned by the question but thought maybe she was building up to it. Not her usual routine with things, but this situation was completely new for the both of us, I'm sure. "I had a good time," I said and decided to let her take the floor.

"I found something interesting in your room as I was gathering laundry," she said lightly, reaching for something next to her on the couch. My heart sunk to my stomach as I realized what it was: the flyer for cheerleading tryouts. "When were you going to tell me about this?"

"Well...I, uh, wasn't sure for awhile if it was something I really wanted to do. I was actually going to show you today since tryouts are this week," I lied. I hadn't planned on telling her until I had made the squad. I did a pretty outstanding job at forging her signature.

"I already signed the permission slips. I also saw the papers for what looks to be other projects, but we'll talk about those later. I'm so happy you are branching out at school, dear. I know you'll be an amazing cheerleader," she said, surprising the hell out of me. She patted my knee gently and made a move to get up. "You'll need to practice every day, though. Cheerleading is not like karate after all. It's not as rough. And maybe we need to lay off the sweets for just awhile."

She winked at me and walked to the direction of the kitchen without another word. I snatched the flyer up from the couch and went upstairs, ripping the paper up and shoving it deep into my trashcan.

This reaction was exactly why I didn't want her to know. It was no secret that throughout my childhood, my mother always pressured me into doing more _girly_ activities, and that's why I had suffered through years of piano and ballet lessons. Sure, they were enjoyable in the moment, but she had ruined it by telling me I had to be the best. So that's what I was, or at least tried to be. She had been a cheerleader in high school and college and wanted the same future for me. Karate had always been more my style.

I flopped down on my bed and sighed. Once again, radio silence on William's end. Maybe I needed to talk to him again. I didn't like not knowing what was going on.

Despite my head starting to pound again, my stomach growled. I hadn't eaten a thing since yesterday afternoon. Somehow I didn't think I was going to have access to anything but dry salads and sugar free snacks at home for quite awhile. But that didn't matter. I had to develop a plan for this upcoming week. Talk to William again, avoid thinking about kissing Jimmy Neutron, avoid talking to Libby about said predicament with Neutron, find a part-time job, and schedule time to juggle more extracurriculars. Sounds like a piece of cake.

Oh yeah - and become the best damn cheerleader this town has ever seen.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

Monday mornings always felt like a fresh start to me, although I knew that most people despised the start of a new week. I didn't mind the feeling of being able to start anew. I was usually able to get some of my best scientific work done on Mondays. Every week, I cajole Sheen and Carl into stopping at a local coffee shop called The Vibe before school, and they grumble the entire time but never refuse to go.

This particular Monday morning, the first week after Betty's party, felt extra exciting for me. After much deliberation and over-thinking, I had called her on Sunday evening after dinner. She answered almost immediately and we talked about the upcoming week and how busy she was going to be with cheerleading tryouts on Friday since she was team captain this year. I tried to get the courage to ask her to dinner sometime this week, but I couldn't do it.

Libby and Cindy were ordering already at the counter when Sheen, Carl, and I got to The Vibe. Libby smiled widely at Sheen as he ran up to greet her, and I realized that this had been planned. Internally, I cursed Sheen. I had mentally prepared myself to see Cindy at school and I had planned on everything being completely normal. Knowing Cindy, she wouldn't bring up (or possibly even remember) anything from Saturday night while we were at school. What I hadn't planned on was seeing her outside of school premises this early in the day.

She looked unbothered as she sipped her coffee and watched silently as the others chatted away. Her sleek blonde hair was up in a bouncy ponytail and how she looked today was far off from the pink-cheeked, smiling Cindy Vortex I had been around on Saturday night. I felt a pang of something strange in my chest but I wrote it off as lingering awkwardness. She didn't acknowledge me as I walked up and stood across from her - she just passed over me cooly with her bright green eyes. I tried to keep the words _best friends, right_? In her hopeful voice out of my head.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and pulled it out to look at the screen. It was a text from Betty that read _Can't wait to see you at school!_ My heart started beating a little faster and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face.

"What's got you so happy on a Monday morning, Neutron?" I looked up at the source of the question: Cindy. She had a brow raised at me.

"Oh-uh, nothing! I'm just excited for a long week of school, is all," I tried to say casually but I could feel myself starting to sound a little bit like an idiot. Now both of her brows were raised in slight surprise. "I meant that sarcastically. Of course."

"Suuuure Nerdtron. Whatever you say," she said dryly, brushing past me on her way back to the counter.

I pulled my phone out and wrote out a reply to Betty.

 _Can't wait to see you!_

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

Monday seemed to drag on and on and I had a feeling it was because I was so anxious to visit William again after school so we could talk again. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I worried about how I hadn't called him _my dad_ in my head for a little while now, but I pushed that thought away with a hard slam of my locker. It was just before lunch and I was desperately in need of a caffeine fix. I wondered how easy it would be to sneak into the teacher's lounge at peak lunchtime…

Libby, who had been standing on the other side of my locker unbeknownst to me, jumped at the sound of me slamming my locker so quickly. I jumped at the same time because I hadn't expected her to be standing there.

She gave me an odd look. "You okay, girl?"

I took a deep breath in order to try to calm my racing heart. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You just scared the shit out of me," I said.

"Maybe you should lay off the coffee," she quipped, looping her arm through mine and leading me down the hall to the cafeteria and unfortunately, away from the teacher's lounge.

"Maybe you should keep your opinions about my caffeine addiction to yourself," I said grumpily but she just laughed.

"So do you still have your heart set on being Retroville's newest and hottest cheerleader?" She winked at me as she grabbed a lunch tray.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but smile along with her. "I have to, Libby. If the team makes it far enough I could win twenty-five grand. That's a lot of money."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I guess I don't blame you. But you do realize you'll be surrounded by all the girls you always complain about, right?"

I shrugged, not wanting to talk about it and make myself dread it more. Libby seemed to sense my wanting to change the topic and said, "I heard a piece of gossip today that I think you might care about."

"Lay it on me."

"It's about that Bryan guy we met at the party. I overheard a couple girls talking in the bathroom earlier today and I guess he used to date Betty Quinlan. That would explain why he was at her party," she said.

We finally made it through the lunch line with our food and I stared down at the unappetizingly greasy slice of pizza that sat on my tray. "Of course they were involved and to be honest, they seem perfect for each other. They are both super annoying."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

"Are you gonna eat that?" Sheen pointed at the slice of pizza that I had just set down in front of me and I glared at him.

"Of course I'm going to eat it. You haven't even eaten yours yet!" I exclaimed.

He took a huge bite of his piece, as if to prove how hungry he was. I just shook my head at him. He turned to Carl and pointed at his tray, but before he could say anything Carl was already protectively moving his tray away from Sheen. "Don't even think about it."

I laughed and spotted Betty walking to her usual table. She smiled and waved at me, which I returned. She had been all shy smiles and warm looks from Cindy's seat this morning in our first class. It had been hard to ignore the intense presence of said blonde right behind her, but I think I had avoided making eye contact with her successfully. Having the two girls who had both kissed me just two days before sitting next to me made me feel a little queasy.

Sheen nudged me and I realized I had been staring at Betty this whole time. I turned around to look at him. He was smiling mischievously. "How's that going for ya?"

I took a bite of my pizza so I didn't have to answer right away. Libby plopped down next to Sheen, effectively distracting him. Cindy chose to sit next to Carl - right across from me. We ate in semi-silence for a few minutes, and I noticed Cindy hadn't even touched her pizza and only the apple that had accompanied it.

Sheen could only be silenced for a short while and was back to pestering me after he had gulped down his entire lunch. "So Jim - you need to fill us in on your new relationship."

All eyes at the table were on me and I studiously avoided Cindy's, even though they were right in front of me. "Relationship?" Libby asked.

Carl just rolled his eyes at Sheen. "I think you're jumping to conclusions, Sheen. Just because Betty kissed Jimmy it doesn't mean she wants to date him," he shrugged.

I wanted to be swallowed up by the ground underneath me. Unable to avoid it any longer lest it seem suspicious, I glanced at Cindy. Her eyebrows were knitted together but she looked more surprised than angry.

"She kissed you?!" Libby gasped. Sheen nodded frantically.

"Laid a big one on him, she did," he said and I just rested my head on my hand that was propped up on the table, not even sure what to say. Having my entire recent romantic history - no matter how small - talked about at the lunch table was more humiliating than I thought it would be. "She's got the hots for big brain over here." He started snickering not-so-quietly.

Cindy snorted into her milk condescendingly and that was the last straw.

"Sheen, shut up," he stopped laughing but a smile remained on his face. "I'm not gonna sit here while all of you make fun of me!"

Libby reached over and patted my arm gently. "It's okay, Jimmy. I'm happy for you!"

"Thanks, Libby."

"Are you sure she meant to kiss the right person, Nerdtron? I don't know why she would want to do that considering-" Cindy started, mirth in her voice, but she didn't get to finish her thought before Sheen cut her off, unable to hold in his laughter.

"Like you have much room to talk, Blondezilla. We were all there when you kissed-"

She glared at him so hard that he immediately shut up. Suddenly, I wish I had her kind of power. It did come in handy once in awhile. Her cheeks were tinged pink and she grabbed her belongings and left the table without another word.

We all heard a resounding smacking sound from Libby hitting Sheen in the arm. "Now why you gotta go and say stuff like that, Sheen? You know it'll just piss her off!" He just smiled at her sheepishly and that seemed to melt the angry expression off her face.

Carl inched Cindy's forgotten tray towards his own and looked at me curiously.

"Do you think she will be mad if I eat her pizza?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

A few hours later, I was sitting next to Cindy in AP Chemistry, looking at her in my peripheral as she took notes. She hadn't said much to me since lunch time even though we had nearly all of our classes together. I was slightly worried that she was upset about Betty kissing me. Was it offensive to girls if a guy kissed one of them during a game and then kissed another for real? Was she just mad that Sheen had brought up us kissing at all?

This was all pretty confusing to me.

I sighed and I must have been too loud, because Cindy looked from her notes at me. She raised that damn brow again and I just shook my head. She went back to ignoring me.

Cindy Vortex and I had already established that we were friends. Sometimes. There was no need for awkwardness, confusion, or misplaced anger. The latter was something she was exceptionally good at. If we needed to talk about the kiss in order to move on, then so be it. I could do that. I would just have to bring it up and quickly say what I needed to say so things could go back to normal.

I started to practice what I would say in my head. _Hey, I know things are a little weird now because we kissed but let's go back to fighting all the time. Truce?_

The bell rang, indicating that the school day was now over, and I brushed off my thoughts. I gathered all my books together and started to turn to Cindy and asked if we could talk, but she was already walking out of the classroom.

She had completely disappeared by the time I walked out of class even though I had tried to hurry. This talk was going to be harder than I thought. I opened my locker and went to grab my backpack, but there was something in the way. After a split second, I realized it was my own jacket - the same one I had given Cindy on Saturday night. How had she gotten into my locker? I grabbed the jacket and shrugged it on. It smelled distinctly like vanilla...like Cindy. I grabbed my backpack and slammed my locker shut.

I jumped when I saw Betty standing next to me, and she giggled. "I seem to be scaring you a lot lately," she said.

"I don't know what that's all about," I said on a laugh. "It's usually tougher than this to catch me off guard."

"Well, I kind of like it," she said quietly, looking up at me from under dark lashes.

Oh wow. I was pretty sure I was having an out-of-body experience right then and there. I was pretty sure she was giving me some sort of opening. I decided to just go for it and suffer the consequences.

"I was thinking...do you want to go out with me sometime this weekend? We could get dinner, or go to a movie. Or both. Or we could-"

Betty laughed and I stopped talking. "Are you asking me out on a date, Jimmy Neutron?"

I nodded somewhat sheepishly. "Yeah, I am, actually."

"I would love to," she said, grinning at me. Her teeth were perfectly white and straight. "Just call me sometime soon and we can make plans. I have to get to practice now." I looked down at her and realized she was wearing her cheerleading uniform.

She waved at me and flounced away quickly.

Shit. I had a date with Betty Quinlan.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

My goal was to get out of school as fast as I could so I could catch William before he left work for the day. That goal didn't include having a full-on conversation with Neutron. I could practically feel his huge brain pulsing because he looked so deep in thought during AP Chem. I could also tell that he wanted to say something to me, or that he was going to try to talk to me, so I left as fast as I could before he got a chance to.

I'd already given myself the "no distraction" pep talk. Jimmy Neutron was a distraction. So was thinking about us kissing. Somehow, neither subjects would leave my brain long enough for me to focus on what exactly I was going to say to William.

I parked in the lot next his building and made my way up to his office. This time I completely bypassed his secretary, who gave me a curious look, and knocked straight on his door. He looked less surprised to see me this time.

"Cindy, I'm glad you're here. I've been meaning to call you but never found the right time," he said, letting me into his office and shutting the door.

I briefly thought about how I'd felt the last time I came in here - hopeful, looking for answers, missing my dad. I remembered hugging him, and I suddenly felt like an angry volcano getting ready to erupt.

"Why haven't you told her?"

William looked taken aback. "Who?"

I glared at him. "My mom, that's who. Why haven't you told her that I know yet?"

"That's actually what I was meaning to talk to you about," he gestured for me to sit but I just stared at him. He sighed. "I wasn't really thinking when we talked on Friday. I didn't mean to just blurt out the truth like that."

I crossed my arms and waited for him to continue impatiently. He smoothed his tie down nervously.

"Your mother and I actually had an agreement when we got divorced. Legally, I'm not allowed to talk to you about anything pertaining my actual relationship to you until you turn 18, or until after she tells you. In fact, I could get into a lot of trouble if she knew I told you," he explained.

I plopped down in armchair in front of his desk, feeling defeated. "So you won't ever tell her?"

He shook his head but didn't say anything else. The unfamiliar feeling of tears prickled behind my eyes but I blinked them away.

"Why did she do this? I would've turned 18, expecting to go to Princeton after graduating, and she would've told me the truth and ruined everything!" I buried my head in my hands briefly, and when I looked up again, William was kneeling next to me.

"Cindy, you're understandably upset. Trust me when I say that I agree with you about this wholeheartedly. I fought to tell you the truth, I really did," his words were meant to be comforting but I didn't feel any better.

I grabbed my backpack, which I had dropped next to the chair when I sat down, and began to stand. William stopped me by saying, "I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but my wife still believes that you're my biological daughter. Everything is just a mess." He looked a little lost then, and I almost felt bad for him.

Then I remembered that he wasn't the victim here. I was pretty sure that was me.

"So, what do you want me to do about it?" I asked.

"Have dinner with us this Friday night. She's always wondering about you and says you should come visit more and I think one night will appease her for awhile."

"You want to tell her the truth?" I was a little confused.

William coughed slightly. "Not exactly…," he trailed off and my brain suddenly clicked.

"You want me to continue _lying_ to her?!" I yelled. He quickly shushed me and glanced towards the door.

"If you can do this, I'll find a way to help you. I still can't directly pay for your schooling. But together we can find a way," he said quietly.

I was silent for a moment while I thought about it. "You will really help me find a way?" I asked, unsure.

"Yes, I promise."

I took a deep breath. I had an uneasy feeling about submerging myself completely into this fucking mess of a situation - but I didn't think I had anything to lose. And this was Princeton we were talking about.

"Fine. I'll do it."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was nearing five o'clock when I left William's office, but I decided to walk to The Vibe, which was just a block down, and grab a coffee anyway. I had a lot of practicing to do when I got home and could use the energy.

I paused just outside the entrance when a sign next to the door with large print caught my eye. _Now Hiring_ , it said. _No experience necessary_. Mrs. Lawrence's words about getting a part-time job echoed in my head and I was suddenly in high spirits. I walked into the coffee shop with a new feeling of determination.

Maybe things are looking up, after all.


	6. broken clocks

**Hello everyone! I hope you all like this chapter :) With Thanksgiving being this week, the next update may be a little delayed, but not by too much.**

 **Dangerous**

As the week slowly went on, I became more anxious about my date with Betty. It also became more glaringly obvious that Cindy Vortex was completely avoiding me. She was like a wild animal that couldn't be captured - leaving class the second the bell rang, finishing her lunch and leaving the cafeteria as everyone else was just sitting down, and refusing to take any sort of argument bait from me. I had even teased her about getting a higher grade than her on our Chemistry exam but I'd only received a roll of her eyes.

I was tired of it. I wanted to focus on more important things; like where to take Betty on our date that we were planning on Friday. Instead, all I could think about was how infuriating Cindy was. By Thursday, I decided to act on those feelings. I saw her slipping out of the cafeteria in the middle of lunch and quickly told everyone at the table that I was going to the bathroom.

I caught up to her halfway down the hallway, not even bothering to call out her name and give her a chance to run away. I grabbed her arm firmly and stopped her. She turned around to face me quickly.

"Neutron? What are you doing?" She asked, her brows knitting together in confusion.

"What are _you_ doing?"

Cindy retrieved her arm from my grip none-too-gently and crossed her arms in her signature _I'm pissed off_ stance. "I'm kind of busy right now Nerdtron. Can you just get to the point of you stopping me?"

She'd called me Nerdtron, which was probably a good sign.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" I was surprised to hear my own voice sound softer and quieter than I had intended.

"...what makes you think I would take the extra effort to avoid you?" She asked without any real malice in her tone.

"Well, let's do a recap: we played spin-the-bottle on Saturday and kissed each other. Ever since then you haven't said more than probably 50 words to me, and that was almost five days ago. Most of the time I'm trying to get you to shut up and now you won't speak to me," I explained. Perhaps I was rambling a little but she let me finish my tirade while looking at me thoughtfully.

"I'm not avoiding you...I'm just busy," she said dismissively, but I wasn't having it.

"You're lying and you know it. And what are you so busy with anyway?"

"Why would you care if I was avoiding you in the first place?" She shot back at me. I opened my mouth to answer but realized I didn't actually know how to answer that.

I didn't know why I cared. I knew I was used to talking to her, whether it was a nice conversation or a mean one, almost every single day. I knew that I felt angry because I did believe she was avoiding me, but I didn't exactly know why.

I was silent for a while, just staring at her and her staring at me. Finally, she sighed and threw her arms up in the air in defeat. "Fine. If you really must know, I got a part-time job. It takes up a lot of time and so I do most of my studying during school hours."

"A job? Where?"

"The Vibe. I started a couple days ago," she shrugged.

"That still doesn't explain why you won't even talk to me. Is it because of the kiss during-" I started to say, but she groaned loudly, apparently getting angry again.

Suddenly, she was moving closer to me - so close there were only a few inches between us. I could smell her sweet perfume once again, and I was having unwarranted flashbacks to Saturday night. She poked a finger into my chest and I resisted the urge to rub the spot that I knew would be slightly sore later. "I'm only going to say this once, Neutron. You and the rest of your nerd squad can shut up about that. Forever. I'm not avoiding you because I kissed you, nor am I avoiding you at all for any reason. What happened on Saturday doesn't even matter. We were just playing a game. Got it?" She asked, but it was more like a demand rather than a question.

I just nodded. I couldn't really think straight with her standing so close to me and staring at me so intensely. She smiled at me as I nodded and patted me on the cheek. This was much gentler than the previous chest poke I had received.

"I'm glad we have ourselves an understanding."

She turned on her heel and left, blonde ponytail swinging rhythmically. I had no choice but to watch her walk away because this time, I didn't know how to stop her.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Unfortunately for Cindy Vortex, I didn't appreciate being told what to do. I liked being in control of things; whether it was one of my experiments, a class debate, or a simple group outing with Sheen and Carl. Most of the time I couldn't really help it. I had let Cindy win our argument in the hallway but I wasn't going to drop the subject until things were back to normal.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. I went on a hunt to find Libby and ended up at her locker, waiting for her to show up. She turned the corner and glanced at me curiously as she spun the combination lock to her locker.

"You sure took a long bathroom break there, buddy," she said slyly.

"Oh yeah, about that. I ran into Cindy," I said.

She raised a brow at me as she grabbed her Biology book and shoved it in her backpack. "You don't say? Is that why you're standing here buggin' me?"

I tempered my eye roll and decided to try a nicer approach.

"I remember you saying Cindy was stressed out the other night at Betty's party. Can you just elaborate on that? She's just been a little...different these past few days," I said quietly.

Libby just looked at me warily. "Didn't I tell you that it wasn't my business to talk about?"

"You did say that, but you also told me to be _understanding_. Which is kind of hard to do when she's either yelling at me or not talking to me at all," I explained.

Libby shut her locker with a solid slam and heaved her backpack over her shoulder. "Nice try getting information out of me, Jimmy, but it won't work. Why do you care so much anyways? Don't you have an upcoming date to worry about?" I just stared at her blankly and she rolled her eyes. "With _Betty_. Wow. For a genius, you're not really that smart."

Then she walked away, leaving me more confused than I had been before.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

One moment I was walking into The Vibe and asking for a job application, and the next moment they were telling me that I got the job and could start the next afternoon. Training for my new job as a part-time barista combined with school, homework, and practicing for cheerleading tryouts for approximately three hours every evening with my mom was more than a little tiring, but I could handle it. I knew without a doubt that I would make the squad with the amount of reciting cheers and pom-shaking I'd been doing all week.

I'd been so busy this week that I almost forgot about my dinner with William and his family. _Almost_ being the key word. I was nervous about it, but not because I was scared to lie. All I really had to do was act the same way I've been acting for the past six years - like everything was just fine and dandy. That was the easy part. The hard part would be hiding William and I's little secret from my mother and trying to find a way to pay for college.

 _One thing at a time,_ I told myself.

After Neutron had confronted me in the hallway on Thursday I was feeling more jumpy than usual come Friday morning. And of course I had lied about avoiding him. Yes, I was avoiding him and _yes_ \- it was because of that damn kiss. I needed another week or two to get over it completely and then I would be fine. I couldn't stop thinking about it and it was hard to push it out of my mind if he was going to bring it up every five minutes. So in the meantime I needed big brain to shut his mouth. Somehow I knew that it wouldn't be that easy. Jimmy Neutron was my number one annoyance - but that was nothing new. For some reason, I just couldn't shake him from my thoughts.

I made sure to pack acceptable cheerleading tryout attire before school: sneakers, shorts, and a shirt that I hoped screamed "I'm cute and can yell loudly! Please pick me!" I went downstairs and reached for one of the delicious, still-steaming blueberry muffins my mom had obviously just baked but she quickly slapped my hand away.

"Absolutely not," she quipped, reaching into the fridge and handing me a plain, sugar-free yogurt. I rolled my eyes. "Just think of them as a little treat for tonight after you make the squad." She kissed me quickly on the forehead and pushed me towards the front door, not even sparing me a _good luck_ or an _I'll love you even if you don't make the team_.

My mother may be a little cold, annoying, and restricting my food choices but fuck, she really did believe in me.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I was cramming my gym bag into the bottom of my locker before first period when I felt a presence next to me. Since I had gotten to school fairly early, I knew it wouldn't be Libby. I looked up and what do you know?

Neutron.

"Good morning," he said easily, smiling down at me. I resisted the urge to give him a black eye.

"You're looking nauseatingly joyful this morning," I muttered.

"You look nice today," he said, almost as if he were surprised. This morning I had added a little extra makeup to my morning routine to cover up any and all tiredness and curled my hair to achieve the _I'm a cheerleader_ look.

I stood up fully, feeling suspicious. "Thanks...I guess," I replied, but he still just stood there, smiling at me. "Did you need something?"

Jimmy opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly Sheen was right there next to him, nearly knocking him over in excitement.

"Are you ready for your date tonight?!"

Jimmy looked from me to Sheen and just nodded without saying anything, but by that time, my curiosity was already piqued.

"Little Jimmy has a date tonight?" I asked and he glared at me.

"Don't call me that. And yes, I have a date with Betty tonight," he said.

"Blondezilla! How did you not know that by now? It's been the talk of our lunch table ALL WEEK! Hell...it's probably the talk of the entire town by now! It's not everyday that the hottest girl in school goes on a date with the biggest nerd!" Sheen exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes.

"Calm down, Sheen. It's not a big deal," Jimmy said, but that huge smile was back on his face and I was feeling infinitely more annoyed than before.

"You're right Sheen," I said smiling, and the two both looked at me with wide eyes.

"Did you just say Sheen was _right_?" Neutron said incredulously.

"I sure did. It's not everyday that this happens. I think someone better go make sure Betty didn't hit her head or something," I said while walking away and disappearing quickly into the girl's bathroom so I didn't have to hear their rebuttals.

I stopped in front of one of the sinks and washed my hands, trying to waste time. One of the stall doors opened behind me and I glanced up in the mirror as Betty Quinlan walked out. She stood at the sink next to me and started primping her hair after washing her hands.

I never really spent much time thinking about, talking to, or looking at Betty Quinlan. All I really knew about her was that she was beautiful, well-liked, and extremely annoying. She was most definitely a seat-stealer. I wondered briefly about _why_ she would even think about dating Nerdtron but that was actually an easy one. Sure, he ruined my day most of the time by beating me at everything and his ego was bigger than Texas but if I looked at him from Betty's point-of-view, I could understand it. He was pretty nice and helpful most of the time. Puberty had been nice to him over the years and he was taller, more muscular, and overall looked like less like a major dork. Even his head size wasn't much to make fun of anymore. In fact, it seemed like Betty Quinlan and Jimmy Neutron would actually make a cute couple.

But I would never say that aloud. And secretly, I really hated the idea.

Betty shot me a wide smile as she exited the bathroom and I tried to ignore the odd, familiar feeling of jealousy in my chest.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The day went by quicker than I wanted. I had drifted in and out during all of my classes, unable to focus, and just poked at my lunch anxiously while everyone around me talked excitedly about the upcoming weekend. I was dreading it. Besides not looking forward to tryouts, I wasn't looking forward dinner with William's family or the two shifts at The Vibe I had agreed to work.

After the last bell rang, I felt like I was floating down the hallway to the gymnasium rather than walking. Libby ran up to me and whispered to me a quick "good luck" while squeezing my arm. I managed to smile at her and she ran off with Sheen. I changed my clothes and joined the rather large group of girls in the middle of the gym that were chattering nervously, but I kept my attention directed towards the older, short woman in front of us that I assumed was the cheerleading coach. A smaller group of girls already in uniform stood close to her. Betty Quinlan was front in center, hands on her hips and doing what I supposed was her best impression of someone more intimidating than her.

I had forgotten she was already on the squad. But I couldn't think about that right now - it didn't even matter.

"Alright ladies," the short woman said loudly in a rough voice, clapping her hands once to get everyone's attention. Everyone quieted down almost immediately. "My name is Katherine Turner, but you can call me Kathy. You are all here to tryout for a position on my team of minions - good luck."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

I was completely ready for my date with Betty that we had scheduled at seven by 7:01, and I had my hand only an inch away from her front door to knock when it swung open widely to reveal a smiling Betty.

I must have looked surprised, because she giggled at me. "I saw you pull up when I was upstairs. You look handsome," she said shyly, and I tried not to blush.

"You look pretty handsome yourself," I joked, and immediately wanted to kick myself for saying it. Now probably wasn't the time for a joke - especially when it came to a girl's looks on her first date with me.

Luckily for me, she just laughed as she shut her door and started to lock it behind her with a key. "Should I...say hello to your parents?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. They aren't home right now."

Betty took my hand in hers as we walked to my car, and I realized that this was it: Betty was right next to me, holding my hand, and going on a date with me. She _liked_ me. This was something that 11-year-old me had fantasized about more than once or twice. I squeezed her hand as we stopped at my car, and I opened the door for her. She turned towards me, leaning in to give me a soft kiss on my cheek before sliding into the passenger seat.

I could feel the goofy smile spreading across my face but couldn't stop it from happening.

We made easy conversation in the car on the way to the restaurant that Betty had suggested. I had never been there before, but I knew they served Italian food and it seemed to be at least semi-fancy. It also seemed to be pretty busy and I was glad I had thought to make a reservation.

The hostess sat us at a small table in the middle of the restaurant. I glanced around as I opened the menu and a flash of curly blonde hair caught my eye. I did a double take and realized it was Cindy Vortex, sitting with a man I automatically recognized as her dad, another woman, and two children. Even from across the room, I recognized the bored expression on her face, but she never looked in my direction.

Most likely, that was a blessing. An even bigger blessing would Cindy not seeing Betty or I for the entirety of the night.

I glanced at Betty and she was looking at the menu, ignorant to the fact that Cindy was even there. I cleared my throat, feeling slightly nervous and she made eye contact with me.

"How were your cheerleading tryouts?" I asked, feeling desperate for a topic that we could both talk about without going straight for the obvious ones. I knew nothing about cheerleading; just that she had mentioned it before. Her face lit up lightly, and I knew I had made the right choice.

"They went really well, there were many girls with potential," she said. "Oh-that reminds me! Your friend was there." She took a sip of water casually but I was definitely confused.

"Please don't tell me Sheen decided to take up a new hobby," I said dryly. She laughed heartily but shook her head.

"That would be funny. But no, it was Cindy."

I paused with my glass of water halfway to my mouth. "Excuse me? Did you just say Cindy Vortex?"

Betty grabbed a breadstick from the basket between us and ripped it apart in a slightly jerky move. "I was just as surprised as you were. She doesn't seem to be the type. She was actually...talented."

I glanced over to Cindy again but she was talking to the woman sitting next to her now. I couldn't imagine her willingly trying out for such a girly sport - she had a black belt, after all. I definitely wasn't sure how to react to the thought of Cindy doing typical cheerleader things, like wearing her uniform to school on game days and shaking pom-poms on Friday night in the middle of the football field.

"Did she make it?"

"What do you mean?" Betty asked.

"Did she make the squad? Do you know those things since you're team captain?"

She wrinkled her nose slightly. "Technically, I'm not team captain _yet_. But I will be. Only Coach Kathy can make the final decision, but the two seemed to get along at tryouts today." Betty didn't look very happy after saying that, so I decided to drop it and talk about something else. Fortunately, the waitress appeared with our food and saved me.

The rest of our meal went pleasantly but I found it sort of hard to find things to talk about. Other than school, lifeguarding, and her party, we didn't have too much common ground. We had different friends, interests, and weren't in very many of the same classes. Betty was easy to talk to, but it was hard to talk to someone at all without the right subject. I figured this would be something that would fix itself with time, though. This was Betty Quinlan. Of course I was going to feel awkward for awhile. I was lucky that she even looked at me twice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cindy scoot back from her table and walk towards the what I assumed were the restrooms, since everyone else at her table remained seated. I had the sudden urge to talk to her so I made a snap decision.

"I'll be right back, I'm just going to use the restroom before we leave," I told Betty, and she nodded at me, smiling.

I made my way in the same direction Cindy had gone and was happy to see the doors to the bathrooms were nearly in a separate room than the rest of the restaurant. I didn't think Betty would be angry at me for talking to Cindy, of course, but I knew she would probably ask about her and I wasn't sure what I would say.

There was no one else around so I just awkwardly stood outside the door for a few long moments when the door swung open and out walked Cindy. I tried to make it look I had been walking out of the bathroom at the same time as her, and as stupid as that plan seemed, it worked. She jumped slightly when she saw me but recovered quickly. She put her hands on her hips and smiled at me slyly.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," she said, and I rolled my eyes. "I'm assuming this is where you decided to take Betty on your little date?"

Cindy's hair was still curled the same way it had been at school earlier today, giving her a softer look than usual. Her smirk and fiery eyes betrayed her, though.

"You assume right. But what are you doing here?"

"I'm having dinner with my dad and my stepmom," she shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable as she said it.

"How is that going?"

Cindy looked at me intensely for a moment before answering, "It's fine, I guess. I should probably get back now."

"Yeah, me too," I said, but I didn't move. It was right at that moment that I realized Cindy was wearing a familiar-looking jacket - a jacket I recognized as _mine_ \- the one I had let her wear when Humphrey went missing. It was too big for her but it didn't look bad. I didn't know if I should say anything about it. Did this mean something? Did she not realize that it was mine?

Cindy gave me a small push to the shoulder when I still didn't move and my eyes flew up to hers. She was giving me a curious look now. "You probably shouldn't keep Quinzilla waiting too long or she might start breathing fire," she said, and I thought it was an odd comment to make.

"Are you calling Betty a dragon?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Don't read too much into it, Little Jimmy. Have fun on your date."

She walked off then, leaving me standing alone for what seemed like the millionth time this week.

As I watched blonde curly hair disappear around the corner, I realized I hadn't even asked her about being a cheerleader.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Betty never said anything about my prolonged absence from the dinner table. She was scrolling through her phone when I got back and didn't seem annoyed with me. I paid the bill and we set off for the movie theater, where we watched a mind-numbing romantic comedy she picked out. It wasn't a terrible movie and Betty seemed to like it, but I had a hard time paying attention.

Finding out Cindy was probably going to be a cheerleader made her avoidance of me a little more understandable. I didn't know why she had tried out for the squad, but maybe that would explain her dodgy behavior. I was still confused. She had been telling the truth yesterday when she had claimed she wasn't avoiding me because of the kiss. Relief came along with a little disappointment, but I was able to ignore it.

I dropped Betty off at her house after the movie. Her house was dark and still and the sky was clear of clouds. It felt like were the only ones still awake on the entire block, even though it wasn't very late.

"I had a great time tonight," she said quietly. She was suddenly standing close to me, with one hand resting on my shoulder gently.

"I did too," I said lamely, but I didn't have much time to agonize over it, because she was already kissing me. Her lips were pressed to mine softly, and I wanted to deepen the kiss but wasn't sure if she wanted to take it any farther than this. She pulled away slowly, looking up at me with eyes so dark I could barely tell they were brown and not black.

"Goodnight, Jimmy," she said so softly it was nearly a whisper. She squeezed my arm and slipped inside before I could even reply.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I pulled up to my house when it was nearly 11 pm. I got out of my car and heard a small jingling noise along with the scratching of paws against pavement behind me. I turned around and Humphrey was snuffling against my leg loudly. I bent down and scratched behind his ears, wondering why he was outside this late. I looked up and found his owner walking towards us, holding a leash in her hand.

"Neutron," Cindy said, bending down to connect the leash to Humphrey's collar. "He always runs out before I can get this on him." She explained.

"You're out pretty late," I commented. It was dark, but Cindy's blonde hair and bright eyes felt like a shining beacon that I couldn't look away from even if I wanted to.

"I couldn't really sleep," she shrugged. "How was your date?"

"I think it went really well," I replied, surprised she had even asked. "Your dinner go okay?"

She nodded, not even looking at me. She was watching Humphrey pull a chunk of grass out of my yard and eat it. "She told you, didn't she?" She peered up at me then, looking hesitant and maybe a little scared. I knew without a doubt she was talking about cheerleading tryouts.

"She did say you were there, but that's it," I said, trying to remain casual. Saying the wrong thing might cause her to bite my head off.

"Well, go ahead and get it out now," Cindy said, her spine straightening as she looked at me expectantly.

"Uh...what?" I didn't understand.

"I know you're going to make fun of me, or say something demeaning so just say what you want to say and get it over with," she explained to me like I was an idiot. She was definitely starting to get angry.

"Why would I make fun of you? You can do what you want," I replied calmly.

She stared at me for a moment, like she was still expecting me to say more. "You really aren't going to say anything?" I shook my head.

"Oh please, Vortex, there's plenty of things I can make fun of you for but really I think cheerleading will be good for you. You're probably going to be the loudest one on the squad," I joked, hoping she didn't take more offense than I intended. A smile broke out on her face and she punched me in the arm lightly.

"Don't you forget it," she said on a laugh and I joined in. "But I don't know if I made the squad yet."

"I'm sure you'll make it," I said, she tilted her head to the side slightly and gave me a look of such gratitude that it was hard to look away. It was then that I realized that she was still wearing my jacket, curly hair tumbling over her shoulders. Things were quiet for a moment and it was nice. We were actually getting along. I felt like I had a million questions to ask her, like _why are you wearing my jacket?_ and _why am I not upset about it?_ and the feeling was a little overwhelming so I decided to say something. "I'll ask Betty to put in a good word for you."

She rolled her eyes at that; the moment broken. "You're so kind," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Goodnight, Vortex," I turned to walk away but suddenly there was a small hand on my arm, stopping me from moving. I turned to face Cindy again and she dropped the leash to the ground next to where Humphrey was calmly sitting, and put her arms around my neck to give me a hug.

She had to stand on her tiptoes to completely reach her arms around me, and her entire body was pressed against mine in the process. Instinctively, I hugged her back around the waist, pulling her even closer to me. Her hair was tickling my nose and I could smell her again and she was _really_ close to me - but then she was pulling back way too soon.

"That didn't just happen," she said quickly, making my head feel confused with the rapid changes in her demeanor. Not to mention, I could feel my heart beating just a little too fast. "I just wanted to say thank you for not making fun of me. I...really appreciate it."

She grabbed the leash off the ground and walked off, Humphrey following her happily.

Once again, I was dumbfounded. Appreciation wasn't an emotion Cindy showed towards _anyone_ very often. This had to be like the fourth time she had thanked me for something in the past week. She didn't just go around hugging people or wearing their jackets around for no reason. None of this was normal Cindy Vortex behavior - and I was finding out that I didn't exactly mind it.

Something weird was going on, and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

 **Next chapter will include Cindy's experiences with tryouts and her dinner and of course more thoughts from Jimmy ;) And of course moving the plot forward just a little - big things are coming! Please leave a review!**


	7. drew barrymore

**Remember - reviews make the world go round :) I love to read your thoughts so if you leave a review of any kind, I will most likely take the time to reply - so go ahead with any questions, too. One of my favorite things to do is give reviewers a few hints towards what might happen in future chapters!**

 **This chapter starts out with Cindy's POV. You may notice her feelings starting to develop slowly...and she hates it. Enjoy!**

 **Dangerous**

After a busy - yet uneventful - weekend of working at The Vibe and catching up on schoolwork, I lay in bed late Sunday night, unable to sleep. Tomorrow would be when I found out if I made the cheerleading squad. My entire stomach felt like it was made of knots, so naturally I found myself to be wide awake and with nothing to do other than think a million thoughts that up until right now, I'd successfully pushed to a hidden corner of my brain.

I was surprised at how well the dinner with William had went on Friday night. His wife, Rebecca, was extremely nice to me, asking about school and my future plans and about my friends. Of course I'd held small conversations with her before but I hadn't realized how vastly different she was from my own mother: warm, caring, and generous. For a few moments during dinner, I'd felt like the situation I have found myself in was completely normal. I was just having dinner with my dad and stepmom - but then I remembered that he wasn't really my dad, and it was all just a show - covering up a lifelong lie.

Then, I ran into the last person I had wanted to see in that moment - Jimmy Neutron. I hadn't realized that he was there with Betty. Luckily, I didn't have to interact with Quinzilla herself, but I had managed to catch a glance of them just before they left the restaurant. Watching them sitting closely, talking to each other and seemingly having a good time set alight a spark of anger inside of me but I had squashed it down.

It wasn't until I had returned home after walking Humphrey at the end of the night that I realized I had been wearing Jimmy's jacket all damn night. In a hurry after tryouts to get ready for dinner, I had just thrown it on. Knowing that I was just casually wearing his jacket in public and he had _caught_ me was more than a little embarrassing. In the back of mind, I knew it wasn't mine and I needed to return it like I had returned his other jacket. But it was comfortable, smelled good, and was just big enough on me to make me feel cozy. Since Jimmy never said anything, I figured it couldn't hurt to keep it for a little while longer.

I turned over on my side and gazed out the window, noticing that a light was on upstairs at the Neutron household. Jimmy's room - he must still be awake, probably up late in his lab working on something and was just now going to sleep.

As if he could hear my thoughts, the light turned off suddenly, but the memory of it behind my eyes still burned brightly. It reminded me of the aftermath of the bright flash of a camera.

Humphrey snuggled up behind my legs, taking up most of the bed with his sizable weight. He let out a contented, tired dog-sigh and I couldn't help but smile. I was glad that my dog and my neighbor - that I couldn't stop thinking about - were both able to sleep soundly.

I thought again about cheerleading tryouts and tried to reassure myself about the results. They had gone well, this I knew. I had practiced so much that the routines were surely ingrained in my brain forever. Knowing that Betty Quinlan had mentioned to Jimmy that I was a cheerleader-hopeful made nervous and angry at the same time. I hadn't told anyone but Libby I was trying out for a reason. I wasn't sure how people would react, and that included Jimmy and his little friends.

The thought of Jimmy's reaction, though, made me smile. He hadn't been judgmental or condescending in the slightest. Not that Jimmy was usually outright cruel or mean - lately his insults were more playful than anything else - but I had expected _something_. A joke, laughter, or maybe even just surprise, but there was nothing except calm acceptance. The annoying genius that was already plaguing my thoughts on a daily basis was now starting to do things that made me feel warm and happy on the inside - something that I wasn't exactly used to feeling.

I tried squashing those feelings down, too, but it was useless. I fell asleep feeling like I was on a cloud.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Even though I woke up absolutely exhausted on Monday morning, I still went to school with my head held high and a massive amount of concealer on my face to hide the tiredness. I was still anxious, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. It would all be over in a while anyway, after I knew what my fate was.

I stopped at my locker but was interrupted by an excited Libby clutching my arm. "Well?!" She asked, holding my arm so tightly that her knuckles were practically white.

I shook her off and just smiled, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "I don't know yet. I mean, I did just walk into the building about thirty seconds ago."

She rolled her eyes at me, but her eyes widened as she looked at something that was behind me. "Looks like you're about to find out," she stage-whispered, and I turned around to look.

Coach Kathy was just a few feet down the hallway, holding what looked like a stack of stiff, clean cheerleader uniforms. My heart lept up to my throat and I tried to calm myself down - I didn't _actually_ want to be a cheerleader. I wanted money for school and this was just one way to get it. No big deal.

Kathy was stopping at a locker here and there, bellowing out names she was reading from a list, or would directly stop a girl as she was walking, and I recognized them all from tryouts on Friday. She was being followed by Betty and a few other cheerleaders. I noticed that she would signal Betty, who would either hand them a uniform without a word, or she would say something to them and shake her head. She was nearly to my locker when she stopped another girl, who was looking at her hopefully. Kathy just shook her head and the girl ran off, looking devastated.

I glanced at Libby, who looked a little bemused. "She must be a tough lady," she commented and I nodded.

Kathy swung her head and looked directly at me. She looked down at the paper in her hands, briefly and opened her mouth, "Cindy Vortex!"

I jumped, even though I knew exactly what was coming. She grabbed the remaining uniform from Betty's hand and shoved it towards me. I grabbed it quickly to keep it from dropping onto the ground ungracefully.

"I gotta admit, Vortex, you seemed really spunky at tryouts on Friday. I can see a real future for you within my squad," she said.

I practically dropped the uniform in shock. "Really?"

She didn't say anything in response and I had a feeling she wasn't used to being questioned. She just glanced at Betty, who handed me a large packet holding several papers.

"Those are our practice schedules, team handbook and rules, and of course the game schedule," Betty said, smiling at me. All I could do was nod, feeling a little overwhelmed. "If you have any questions, you can always ask me. I'm going to be team captain this year-"

Kathy held a hand up, stopping Betty mid sentence. "Wait one second there, buttercup. I haven't chosen team captain yet. In fact, I wouldn't get too comfortable," she put her hands her hips and smacked her gum, looking at me thoughtfully. "You might have yourself some competition here."

She winked at me and started walking away, yelling, "Welcome to the squad!" over her shoulder. I looked over at Betty, who had a completely blank expression on her face. Her body language said a completely different story, however; her hands were clutching the rest of her packets tightly, crumpling the papers within them. Her shoulders looked tense and her eyes were glaring at me fiercely.

After a moment, she shot a tight smile, insincere smile and walked off in the same direction as Kathy had.

I let out a deep breath that I hadn't realized I was holding, relief flooding over me like a wave. I stared at the crisp white and blue uniform in my hands in disbelief. _I'd made it_.

Libby nudged me and I looked at her.

"That's one scary bitch. Did you see the look she gave you?" I knew she was talking about Betty.

I carefully placed the uniform and papers in my locker, shutting it firmly. "Yeah, I saw that. I don't know what her problem is," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Well I knew that already, but aren't you a little worried that she's gonna take her anger out on you?" Libby replied while lifting a brow.

I hefted my backpack over my shoulder and we set off for class. I had a new spring in my step and couldn't wait to get home to tell my mom that I'd made the squad. She would be so happy. Quinzilla and her sudden anger issues couldn't touch what I was feeling right now.

"I'm not scared of Betty Quinlan."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

I was sitting in my first period classroom, talking to Sheen as we waited for class to start, when Libby and Cindy walked in together. Sheen immediately stopped talking and waved to Libby, who just smiled at him and waved back, looking slightly embarrassed.

I glanced up at Cindy as she walked by my desk and saw she looked the happiest I'd seen her in awhile. I was pretty sure she was actually _smiling_. She took her now-usual seat behind Betty's and caught my eye for a split second, the happy look on her face unfaltering.

The tardy bell rang and the room was filled with the sounds of everyone shuffling their books and papers. It wasn't until a few moments later that I realized that Betty still wasn't in class.

I couldn't help but watch the clock during the whole class period while wondering where Betty was. I had concluded quickly that the reason Cindy looked so happy was because she had made the cheerleading squad.

I had spent all weekend juggling thinking about Betty and trying to figure out what was going on with Cindy but I had no solid ideas. Whatever reason she had for joining the squad - she was apparently damn happy about it. Her joy, even though while sitting behind me, felt palpable and contagious. I was a little worried about Betty but more than that, I was happy that Cindy was happy.

Betty still wasn't at school just before lunch and it was obvious that she wasn't going to be showing up anytime soon. I used my phone to send a quick text to her while I stood at my locker. Phones weren't allowed to be used by students during school hours, but that rule was only strictly enforced during class times.

She texted me back almost immediately: _Not feeling too well today so I went home. You're so sweet to worry about me, I'll be back tomorrow!_ This was followed with a few of those heart-eyed and kissy-face emojis she loved to use.

I walked to lunch with Sheen and Carl. Sheen was raving about a new Ultra Lord special that was supposed to be airing this weekend and Carl was musing about how Ultra Lord was still popular enough to warrant yet another television special. I tried to stay out of the argument.

Cindy and Libby were already seated at our table when we sat down, but Cindy was only drinking coffee as Libby ate her lunch.

"Everyone needs to congratulate Cindy on her big news today," Libby said immediately as we sat down, and Cindy shot her a glare without any real heat behind it.

"Shut your trap, Libby," she said.

"What good news?" Sheen asked loudly, and Cindy sighed.

Libby clapped her hands together excitedly, "She made the cheerleading squad!"

Sheen and Carl started clapping along with Libby and Cindy buried her face in her hand, her cheeks turning slightly pink. She glanced at me and I grinned at her.

"Okay, but I'm confused. How is the meanest girl in school going to be a cheerleader? Aren't they supposed to be nice?" Sheen exclaimed, and I elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up. He yelped. "What was that for?"

"I hate to admit this because we all know her ego is pretty big already, but I'm sure Vortex will be a great cheerleader," I said, and she shot me a grateful look.

"Yeah," Carl agreed. "Cheerleaders just have to be pretty and loud. You're both of those, Cindy."

"Well...thanks, Carl," Cindy said, looking surprised.

"Carl, I think you meant loud and obnoxious," Sheen said while laughing. Cindy quickly slid Carl's food off of his tray and onto the table safely, before picking up the tray and proceeding to smack Sheen with it repeatedly. It took a few moments for me to wrangle the tray out of her hands and for Libby to quiet Sheen's screams of _The devil cheerleader is killing me_ but everything quieted down fairly quickly, and our lunch hour ended without many more issues. All of the faculty members in the cafeteria ignored us, knowing this was a regular occurrence.

I ended up next to Cindy as she dumped her empty coffee cup in the trash as I was emptying my tray. "Congratulations, by the way. I told you you'd make it," I told her as we walked out of the cafeteria.

"For once you were right, Nerdtron," she quipped, but her happy expression betrayed her words. "Thank you." She was smiling at me beautifully, green eyes shining brighter than usual. She playfully bumped my arm with mine as we walked down the hallway towards our lockers and I had to admit that I could get used to this version of Cindy.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

The high of achieving something I had wanted was intense but short lived; in fact, it only lasted up until the moment I got home Monday afternoon. I wasn't sure if the day could get any better. I didn't have to work that night, I'd made the cheerleading squad, _and_ Betty Quinlan had mysteriously disappeared after our brief interaction before first period. I could only hope that she had decided to move to Mexico and leave me alone forever.

I burst into my house after school, delighted to see that my mom was already home. I didn't even try to hide my excitement as I slid into the kitchen ungracefully. She was unloading groceries into the refrigerator as I loudly made my announcement.

She didn't say anything right away and I wondered if maybe she hadn't heard me with the way her head was stuck inside the fridge door. After a few seconds, she turned around. "Of course you made the squad, dear. I knew you would," she said matter-of-factly. "That's why I went shopping. You'll need lots of low-fat goodies to maintain your figure." She smiled at me serenely.

She continued to empty her grocery bags at the kitchen island and didn't say another word. No _congratulations_. No hug, not even a stupid high-five. She didn't even stop what she was doing to pretend to be interested in what I was saying.

I went up the stairs to my room and dropped my heavy backpack on the floor, relishing in the _thud_ it made as it landed on the carpet. I sat down on my bed with a sigh and tried to reassure myself that I wasn't doing any of this for my mother. Her approval, acceptance, and attention weren't things that I needed. I knew exactly what I needed, and that was to get as far away from Retroville and my broken family as I could.

Instead of starting this week's homework right away like I usually would, I texted Libby and asked if she wanted to meet up and study together. I had a feeling we wouldn't actually be getting much work done but I definitely needed the distraction.

My mom was vacuuming the floors when I went downstairs again, and just waved to me as I left the house. Even though I was at The Vibe much more often now that I worked there, Libby had picked the place for us to meet so I agreed. I was fine with going anywhere as long as it got me away from the house and I was able to get my caffeine fix there.

I was standing at the counter waiting for the coffee I had ordered when I felt someone tap on my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder to see who it was, expecting to find Libby. I was wrong.

Bryan.

I hadn't seen or thought much about him since Betty's party and I didn't really know all that much about him either - just the fact that he used to date Betty and was apparently set out to annoy the hell out of me.

He was smiling at me contentedly, as if he'd just found something he had been looking for. "Hey blondie, fancy seeing you here," he said casually.

"Small world," I muttered before turning back around, taking my coffee from the counter it had just been placed on. Bryan just laughed.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't be too happy to see me, but hey - I helped you out the other night didn't I?" he said. "The least you can do is buy me a coffee."

I turned around to fully face him and looked longingly at the door, wishing for Libby to walk in and save me from this awkward encounter. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Not in a million years. Can you get out of my way now?"

"Damn, you _are_ mean," he laughed. I was sort of surprised he was still standing there trying to talk to me when I was using best efforts to get him to leave me alone. "Luckily for you, I was kidding. On a more serious note, you should let me take you out this weekend."

He said that statement lightly, as if he were commenting about the weather or something. I just stared at him, unsure whether I should laugh or maybe dump some coffee all over him. That would be a waste of good coffee, so I chose the former.

"You've got to be kidding me," I replied.

"Nope, I'm pretty sure I'm not kidding," he said, all signs of joking and laughter leaving his face. "You're cute and funny and keep me on my toes. Most girls aren't like that. I just want to get to know you better."

A light jingling noise rang throughout the coffee shop, signaling that the door had just opened. I glanced over and saw Libby. I immediately waved at her to get her to see me and realized I probably looked like a lunatic - but I didn't care. I currently had Betty Quinlan's ex-boyfriend asking me on a date and I was full-out panicking.

I turned back to at Bryan as Libby made her way towards us with a curious expression on her face and he was looking at me, smiling again. "Look, I'm really busy with school and work-" I started to say, but he interrupted me.

"I understand. Just think about it, okay?" He handed me a small slip of paper that I could only assume held his phone number. I wondered absently when he would've had the time to do that. "One dinner, Cindy. That's all I'm asking for."

He winked at me and walked away, leaving the shop. Libby took his place in front of me. "What was that all about?"

I just looked down at the slip of paper I was holding gingerly between two of my fingers. Libby snatched it away from me and opened it. "Oh my god! Did he give this to you? Did he ask you out?!" She exclaimed, but I was once again distracted by the jingling noise of the door opening.

Jimmy Neutron, with his nerd squad in tow, walked in and started walking towards us without any hesitation. I looked at Libby for an explanation and she just shrugged.

"I told them they could study with us."

 _Great._

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

Sheen and Carl were already waiting for me at my locker when the last bell of the day rang, but I was texting Betty and didn't say much as we were leaving the building. I wanted to make sure she was still okay, or if she needed anything. I still wasn't paying much attention when we got into the car and Sheen took off. When I looked up and realized we weren't at my house and instead we were parked across the street from The Vibe, I was a little confused.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

Sheen turned around and scoffed at me. "Pay attention, Jim! Libby told us to meet her here so we can study, or something."

"Sheen, you didn't bring any of your books with you," Carl said, but Sheen ignored him and got out of the car, running across the street ahead of us.

The two of them started bickering again as we got up to the building, so I walked inside first instead of waiting on them to stop. I spotted Libby standing near the front counter and she was talking to Cindy. They seemed to be deep into a conversation and barely glanced our way, so I started walking over to them with Sheen and Carl following.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I read the text that had just come in from Betty: _Call me later and you can catch me up on everything that happened at school today!_ And again, there was an overuse of hearts and flowers. It was cute, though. I replied and told her I would call her after dinner.

"What's going on?" Sheen directed the questions towards Libby as we found a table for all five of us to sit at comfortably.

Libby had a slip of paper in her hand and waved it around mischievously, side-eyeing Cindy in the process. Cindy reached for the paper but Libby held it away from her. "Cindy's got herself a secret admirer," Libby said on a laugh.

"WHO IS IT?" Sheen asked excitedly.

Libby was distracted by Sheen's outburst, and Cindy used the opportunity to grab the paper from her hand, shoving it into her bag. "It's no one," she said while glaring at Libby.

"C'mon Vortex, tell us," I piped up, and she turned her icy gaze towards me but ignored my comment.

"It's Bryan. He was here when I got here," Libby explained and Cindy exhaled loudly. "You never finished telling me the story. How did you end up with his number?"

"Wait - is this the same Bryan who was at the party last weekend?" Carl asked.

"Yes, Carl, it's the same guy," Libby answered.

Cindy started to unpack her backpack in jerky manner, slamming books onto the table with nearly enough force to cause a crack. "We are not going to talk about this," she said.

Libby just shrugged and followed suit, unpacking her things too. The table was quiet for several long moments as everyone started in on their homework. I stared down at the extra credit formula sheets my physics teacher had given me but I suddenly couldn't concentrate.

"Did he ask you out?" Libby broke the silence abruptly, and I could hear the laughter in her voice. Sheen started to snicker along with her and Cindy pushed her chair back from the table with a loud scraping sound. She grabbed her coffee cup and stood up.

"I'm getting a refill."

Libby nudged Sheen to get him to stop laughing but she couldn't hide her smile. I shook my head at them and watched as Cindy talked with barista at the counter.

I knew I didn't like that Bryan guy even though I didn't know anything about him. Obviously Betty knew him somehow considering he had been the "alcohol supplier" for her party. That meant he was at least twenty-one years old, or he knew older people to buy alcohol for him. Either way, he seemed to be a little old to be hanging around girls that were seventeen. I had interacted with him at the party very little, but I remembered how I found Cindy in the bathroom and that he was already there with her. Something had seemed...off about him.

The good thing about it, though, was that it seemed that Cindy didn't like Bryan. But maybe I was interpreting her reaction to Libby's teasing wrong - she could just be embarrassed. She hadn't thrown his number away; she had put it in her bag.

I shook my head and tried to think about science instead of Cindy Vortex. It didn't matter who she went out with. She could kick anyone's ass that messed with her. Not only that, but Bryan was probably harmless.

Cindy returned to our table and Libby gave her a smile that promised she would keep her mouth shut from now on.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

A few unproductive hours later, my stomach was grumbling and I was itching to talk to Betty. Cindy was packing her things up, but Libby and Sheen had their heads close together, ignoring the rest of us. By the way they were giggling, I could tell they weren't talking about school at all.

"I'm going home," Cindy said as she stood, heaving her bag over her shoulder.

"You better call me later," Libby said in a fake-threatening voice, and Cindy just rolled her eyes.

"Hey, uh, would you mind giving me a ride home? My parents wanted me home for dinner tonight," I asked her. Neither Sheen or Carl were paying much attention to me, so the half-lie of an excuse I gave was unnecessary.

She shrugged. "I'll be waiting outside."

I quickly gathered my things, partially afraid she would leave me and I would be stuck at the coffee shop for several more hours watching Libby and Sheen make googly-eyes at each other. Cindy was sitting in her car staring at her phone as I opened the door, but she quickly put it down as I settled in the seat.

Not much was said during the short trip to our houses, and I struggled with finding a non controversial topic. She didn't seem to be in a good mood after Libby's teasing. But the questions were bubbling up inside me, and I figured it couldn't hurt to do a little prodding of my own.

"So...Bryan, huh?"

Cindy's grip on the steering got a little tighter, but other than that, she didn't have much of a reaction to my question. "What about him?"

"Did he ask you out?"

Her eyes slid over to mine. "What's it to _you_ , Nerdtron?"

I had expected the overly defensive response. I lifted my hands up to show that I didn't mean any harm - trying to tame the snake. "Nothing, nothing. It just seems like he's a little old for you, is all."

She snorted out a laugh and shook her head. "You're dating someone that's older."

"Only by a year."

"I'm not even dating him! And I don't understand why it would be a big deal if I did!" She exclaimed.

"Forget it, Vortex. Date whoever you want, but he seems like a sketchy character to me. I was just trying to warn you," I said, and she full-out laughed this time as she pulled up to my house. She put the car in park and turned slightly to face me.

"Okay, _dad_. I'll certainly be careful with who I interact with in the future," she said sarcastically. I just shook my head at her and started to gather my things.

Cindy's suddenly uncertain sounding voice stopped me, "Did Betty mention anything to you today about me making the squad?" She was looking down at her hands, which were playing with a loose string on the hem of her shirt.

"No, I didn't even see Betty today. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

I stared at her for a moment. Clearly she _was_ asking me that for a reason, but I knew I wouldn't get it out of her very easily. It was getting late, I was starving, and I wanted to call Betty. I didn't really have the mental or physical energy to get into yet another battle of the wits with Cindy Vortex tonight.

"I'll...uh, let you know if she says anything?" I asked, opening the car door.

"Don't worry about it, Neutron," she said lightly, and I got out of the car. Before I could even thank her for the ride, she was putting the car into drive and gave me a slight wave as she pulled into her own driveway.

I cursed myself as I walked into my house - I hadn't even done any digging as to why Cindy was acting so strange. Not to mention that things were getting even stranger by the day. I tried to think about why Betty would say anything about Cindy being a cheerleader, but couldn't come up with anything. Suddenly, I remembered the way Betty acted during our date when the topic of tryouts had come up - and how unhappy she seemed. She mentioned that Cindy and the coach had gotten along really well. But why would Betty be upset about that?

I bypassed dinner for the moment and went upstairs to my room, not wanting to wait any longer to call Betty.

I cursed myself again - but this time for a different reason. I couldn't believe I was acting so obsessed about anything that Cindy Vortex did or said. Sure, I had an undying curiosity about most unsolved things - scientific or not - but maybe I was overdoing it. Spending so much of my spare time thinking about a certain blonde neighbor of mine probably wasn't healthy.

I punched Betty's number in and listened to it ring as I looked out the window in my room; and as if on cue, as if she could _hear_ me thinking about her, I saw Cindy walk out of house with Humphrey's leash in hand. He was bouncing around the yard excitedly and she was trying and failing to attach the leash to his collar. She had a jacket on now. I knew without further inspection that it was my jacket. I had a small flashback to the other night - with her standing in my yard and hugging me, her body pressed against mine.

When Betty answered the phone, I could barely concentrate on what she was saying for the first few moments. I was too busy watching Cindy walk down the street with Humphrey until her image got smaller and smaller before disappearing completely. I continued to stare at the spot in the distance she had vacated, half-listening to Betty, until she reappeared again and went inside.

 **What do y'all think about Bryan? ;) Don't worry if you don't like him… and this might be weird - but I'm one hundred percent for a Carl/Cindy friendship. I love it and I don't know why. Sometimes these ideas I have just write themselves. This chapter was somewhat uneventful but let's just say it's the calm before the storm!**

 **Next week I'll have my house all to myself with not much else to do but work and write. I'm hoping to get at least two or three chapters done so I can keep up a good posting schedule during the upcoming holiday!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	8. friends, lovers, or nothing

**Hello again! Today we start off with Jimmy's POV. There will be a slight time jump - it'll be obvious when it occurs later on in the chapter. This chapter _is_ shorter than what I usually write. It's still nearly 7 pages long, but the word count is much lower than all the others. If I would've combined this chapter with the next like I originally intended, it would've undoubtedly ended up being like 12k words and I didn't want to edit that all at once ;)**

 **Jimmy's got a lot of feelings right now, but don't worry! He will figure them out soon enough. Cindy is figuring hers out much quicker than him...such is the way it usually goes, huh? (Side note: Jimmy and Cindy sit at a lab table in their AP Chem class. You'll know why that's important later).**

 **I want to say thank you to all of my lovely reviewers - you guys are the best.**

 **Dangerous**

I was eager to see Betty on Tuesday morning as she had promised me she would be back to school. I immediately caught sight of her shiny dark hair and bright smile walking down the hall towards me soon after I entered the building. Instead of walking right to me, like I expected her to, she stopped and started talking to someone who was at their locker. I had to move to the side to see who it was.

Cindy.

I could only see Betty's face from this angle and she looked happy as can be, and it was obvious even from far away that she was talking Cindy's ear off. Curiosity arose in me once more and I wanted to know what they were talking about. More than that, I wanted to see Cindy's expression.

Betty waved to Cindy before walking towards me. I busied myself with the combination of my locker, trying to look nonchalant and not like I had been watching them. She surprised me by giving me a warm kiss on the cheek and I tried not to blush too hard.

She pulled back and smiled at me sweetly, but her hand lingered on my shoulder. I saw a flash of blonde in my peripheral - it was Cindy. She was walking down the hall with Libby towards our first period classroom. She was looking at Betty and I unabashedly and I recognized her distinct eye roll just as passed us.

Hot, unexpected anger felt like it was filling my veins rapidly. Why was Cindy so judgmental towards Betty? For as long as I've known her, she's been friendly to everyone, including Cindy. I was lucky to have a girl like Betty, who is mature and warm, that wanted to spend time with me. Maybe Cindy was jealous. Although she has recently undergone a change in demeanor, I wasn't sure if she was capable of being as humble or nice as Betty. Maybe she knew that, too.

I knew my anger was probably a little unjustified. Cindy was my friend, after all. I wanted my friends to get along with Betty and that included her.

I had a feeling that no matter how hard I tried, Cindy was never going to like Betty.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

Tuesday came and it was the first day of cheerleading practice. I woke up more nervous than I wanted to be about it, and spent much of the early morning hours awake and restless. I even tried on the uniform to make sure it fit me. It was snug and the material was stiff but I was surprised to find that I didn't mind the long-sleeved cropped top that showed a little too much skin and pleated skirt that seemed to effortlessly sway when I moved.

As I was stuffing my backpack into my locker just before first period, I was distracted by a familiar slip of paper falling out of the side pocket and onto the ground. I grumbled and snatched it up - and came face to face with a pair of bright pink shoes that were standing next to me. I stood up slowly. I would recognize those shoes anywhere.

"Good morning," Betty Quinlan practically sang out, smiling down at me.

"Uh...morning," I said, stuffing the paper that held Betty's ex-boyfriend's phone number into my backpack, hoping she hadn't noticed it. I tried not think about how fucked up this entire situation felt.

"Cindy, I'm so sorry about yesterday. I realize I came off a little rude," I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I wasn't feeling well at all but came to school anyway because I didn't want to miss seeing all our new recruits! That ended up being a mistake." She giggled a little.

I forced out a small smile. "Yeah, you wouldn't want to be going around getting everyone else sick."

I knew it wasn't the nicest thing to say but I wasn't feeling very cordial or polite at the moment. Despite my response, Betty's smile never faltered. It was almost as if the slight slip of her perfect facade yesterday had been an illusion or something I had made up in my head.

"What I really wanted to say is welcome to the squad!" She said cheerily. "I'm so excited for tonight's practice. Aren't you?"

I nodded in affirmation. "Of course. I'm sure it'll be a blast." She didn't seem to catch my underlying tone of sarcasm and clapped her hands together excitedly.

Betty waved to me and walked away. I wondered how one person could be so nice and cheerful all the time and not get tired of it. She had to be an alien of some sort. I didn't know if I was going to be able to handle spending so much time with her.

The next person to arrive at my locker was Libby, much to my relief. "I'm sorry for yesterday," she started, sounding a little sad.

"What do you mean?" I said as I shut my locker.

"I shouldn't have teased you so much about Bryan."

"Don't worry about it, Libs. I'll consider it a justified payback for all the times I tease you about Sheen," I replied and she grinned.

Off we went to our first class and I noticed Betty was now at Jimmy's locker. I'm pretty sure if actual cartoon hearts were able to leap out of a person's eyes in real life, they would both be doing that right now with the way they were staring at each other. I couldn't resist rolling my eyes. Love was pretty disgusting.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

My original belief of cheerleading went a little something like this: lots of jumping up and down, cartwheels, screaming loudly, memorizing chants, bouncy ponytails. Repeat several times.

I was wrong about that.

If I had thought Coach Kathy was tough - and perhaps a little intimidating - before practice, I was wrong about that too. She was more than tough. I was pretty sure she was evil. After nearly an hour of running, doing a mind-numbing amount of sit-ups, push-ups, and squats I was starting wonder when we would actually start doing things that would pertain to being a cheerleader.

She let us take a break for a few minutes to get some water. I contemplated this idiotic life decision I had made as I realized my legs were already sore. Kathy stopped me on my way to the water fountain, pulling me aside from all the other girls.

"Vortex, how do you feel about heights?"

I had a very bad feeling about this question.

I wasn't necessarily _terrified_ of heights, but I didn't like them. I didn't really want to experience anything that would include me being above ground for an extended amount of time. My gut was telling me to lie, so I did.

"I'm not really sure. They're okay, I guess."

"That's good to hear," she said, nodding at me thoughtfully. She smacked her gum a little before continuing, "I'll just tell you it to you straight: you're small. You're pretty loud. You don't mind heights. If you've got good balance then we have a perfect combination."

I had no idea about my balance, but I knew it probably wasn't anything extraordinary. "Perfect combination for what?"

"You're going to be a flyer."

I looked around nervously but the rest of the team was sitting in the middle of the gym floor, chattering amongst themselves. I saw Betty eyeing us curiously but I looked away quickly as soon as we made eye contact. "I'm going to be a what now?"

"A flyer. You know - the person that gets lifted for stunts."

Unfortunately I knew what she was talking about. I glanced at my teammates again. I was going to have to trust these people to lift me in the air and not drop me?

"What do you say, Vortex?"

As badly as I wanted to refuse and say _I want to stay on the ground thank you very much_ \- I knew I shouldn't disappoint Kathy on the day of our very first practice. I wanted to succeed at this. I needed it.

"Okay. I'll do it."

She gave me a small smile; the happiest expression I'd seen her make all day. She gave me one hard pat on the back and I tried not to wince.

"I knew you'd say yes. You're gonna be at the top of the pyramid, kid."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

Several weeks had passed since the first day of school and a routine had settled over Retroville High School. Sleepy-eyed students were starting to shrug off their summer routines; homework and extracurriculars became the new norm. I was beginning to delve into college applications. I had been considering early graduation for quite some time now. I knew that academically I was more than ready for college, but my parents have always insisted on me getting the _teenage experience_. However, I had always hoped they wouldn't mind if I left a year or even a semester early.

Lately, something was holding me back from pursuing that idea fully. I didn't know if a part of me would feel like I was missing out when it came to my friends or if my new budding relationship with Betty had something to do with it. She was graduating this year but as far as I knew, she was going to be attending a junior college only an hour away before transferring to a university.

I knew that someone with my IQ needed to have ivy leagues and college application essays on their mind and not their maybe-girlfriend's plans, but life was becoming increasingly distracting by the day. I also knew that I wanted to enjoy high school for just a little while longer, so I decided to save those applications for another time.

Although Betty was pretty busy with her cheerleading schedule, she still made time for me after practices and I started going to football games per her request, dragging Sheen, Carl, and Libby along with me. As much as I expected to hate attending games I realized soon enough that they weren't all that bad.

Unsurprisingly, Betty was graceful yet perky as she did all the usual routines; seemingly full of endless energy. I was more surprised by Cindy. She fit in well as a cheerleader with her hair perfectly curled in a bouncy ponytail just like all the other girls. When it was halftime, the squad made their way into the field, doing flips and cartwheels the entire way. A few times, Cindy was lifted into the air, but she seemed unwavered by the altitude change. All the years of riding in my hovercar seemed to have paid off.

It also seemed that I had been right about her being the loudest on the squad - no matter what cheer they were doing or what position she was in, Cindy's voice was always the one I heard the most.

After the game - we lost, of course - I left the stands to find Betty who was still on the field. Sheen, Carl, and Libby parted ways with me to go to the concessions stand, tempted by the promise of candy and s'mores.

I was about to greet Betty when someone bumped into me from behind. I looked over my shoulder and came face-to-face with Bryan.

"Sorry, dude," he said with a smirk. "Too many people on the field."

"What are you doing here?" Betty asked flatly before I could reply.

Bryan just shrugged and moved on. "Too bad about the game," I said to Betty. She didn't say anything; she was watching Bryan walk away.

He walked right up to Cindy, who was talking to a few other girls several feet away. Seeing her up close now felt different than when I had seen her earlier when she was doing her routine - the confident attitude she had radiated was gone and she looked a little vulnerable with Bryan towering over her.

"Are you okay?" I asked Betty, touching her arm to get her attention. She snapped her attention back to me and smiled brightly.

"Of course! I wish we would win a game here and there but oh well," she shrugged and looped her arm with mine, starting to lead me in the direction of the concessions. "I could go for some hot chocolate, what about you?"

I agreed but I couldn't help but glance back to Bryan and Cindy. He was standing oddly close to her and I had the urge to interfere or push him away or _something_. But I just shook my head.

Cindy was a big girl. Certainly, she could handle herself in almost any situation. I kept walking but it almost felt like I was being dragged away. I tried to ignore the feeling of dread in my stomach but it didn't go away from the rest of the night.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The following week, I sat in AP Chemistry next to Cindy, listening to our teacher drone on about our upcoming exam when Cindy poked me in the arm forcefully.

"What was that for?!" I hissed, rubbing my arm.

Her eyes were wide and she looked a little frantic. "I forgot about our exam," she whispered. Luckily, we sat near the back of the classroom and our teacher was sort of...absent-minded.

"How did you forget?"

"I don't know," she said miserably, and I almost felt bad for her. She started flipping through her notebook rapidly. I suddenly realized that this was the longest conversation I'd had with Cindy in weeks. She seemed busier than anyone else our age. I had gotten used to seeing her with a coffee in hand, delegating tasks for the latest fundraiser or food drive, barely stopping to eat lunch with us most days. Even on nights when I got home late from hanging out with Betty or with the guys, she always got home later than me, wearing her coffee shop uniform and hauling her heavy-looking backpack inside behind her.

I knew Cindy took school seriously and for her to forget an important test like this was so unusual for her I almost wanted to check her for a fever. I also knew how this situation was most likely going to go - she would stay up all night studying for an exam that was happening inless than 48 hours, and she still might not get the grade she wanted. I looked closely at her desolate expression and tired eyes and made a snap decision.

"I'll help you study," I whispered and she looked at me sharply.

"What?"

"Tonight after school. I'll get you ready for the exam," I repeated.

She stared at me like I had suddenly grown an extra head. "You would help me?"

I shrugged, feeling uncomfortable by her questioning. "If you want."

She nodded, but I could tell she seemed a little hesitant. "I have cheerleading practice after school, but we can meet after?" She asked, sounding unsure.

I wasn't sure what caused me to do it, but I think it was the vulnerable, desperate expression on her face. It was a look that made me feel kin to what I had felt the other night when she was talking to Bryan after the game - the overpowering urge to help her, whether she asked for it or not. I reached over and squeezed one of her hands that had been resting in her lap. Her hand was warm and soft. "Just come over to my house when you're done."

"Mr. Neutron, maybe you would have better luck explaining this particular problem to the class?" Ms. Jennings' voice suddenly entered my consciousness and I quickly sat up straighter, letting go of Cindy's hand. I wasn't sure what problem she was referring to but I was sure I could explain it better than she could either way.

I glanced over at Cindy a little while later after Ms. Jennings finally directed her attention elsewhere and she looked like she had calmed down from her freak-out moments ago. She caught my eye and gave me a small smile, a hopeful look in her eye. I felt myself returning the smile without even thinking.

I'd told Betty we could spend some time together later tonight, but I would have to cancel. Hopefully she wouldn't be _too_ mad.

After all, I was just helping out a friend.

 **Get ready for the next chapter...there will be a study session, more about Bryan, and of cours a. Remember to review and also remember to check out my profile for all the songs that inspire me to write this story! Give them a listen.**


	9. love so soft

**I was honestly berating myself for how short the last chapter was (compared to all the others) and then completely made up for it with this one. On accident. So...enjoy this behemoth of a chapter. There's a lot that happens so PLEASE leave your thoughts in a review! I'm also extremely nervous about this chapter and how you guys will feel about it. I had to cut it in half because I was seriously agonizing over the next part of the story. That's why this chapter ends at a somewhat odd place. The good news is that chapter 10 is halfway done and should be up in a couple days.**

 **Side note: there's two things that I absolutely can't/hate to do when I write. One is that I always forget minor details like names or places that I make up for my stories. The second is that I** _ **hate**_ **editing because I'm awful at it. I could read the same section seven times and not catch the mistakes in it. I don't think anyone noticed but I accidentally changed William's wife's name from Carly to Rebecca. Oops! From here on out it'll just be Rebecca...unless I change it for a third time without realizing it. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Dangerous**

It only took me a few minutes to shake off the uncomfortable, nervous feeling that I could only identify as stage-fright during our very first game. I wasn't used to feeling that way at all. The combination of the new skin-baring uniform and performing routines in front of a huge crowd with a bunch of girls that I didn't care to associate with was unnerving - to say the least.

After only a short while I realized that most of my focus had to be on keeping my balance while being lifted so I didn't look like a complete idiot while teetering over ungracefully. Between that and remembering the right words to cheers and the moments I needed to smile, I forgot about everything else.

Luckily I had Libby to serve as my own personal cheerleading squad if I ever felt nervous again. She insisted on doing my hair and makeup before every game and I could always see her in the stands sitting with Sheen, Carl, and Jimmy. I shouldn't be surprised that Jimmy attended every single game considering Betty was either always a few feet away from me or standing below me with one of her icy hands around my ankle while I was being lifted. I just never expected that Jimmy Neutron would be giving up precious lab time in exchange for sitting at a high school football game, probably freezing his ass off on those hard metal benches in the stands. I guess love makes you do crazy things.

I didn't mind cheering, but I hated everything that took place after each game. We were notorious for losing, but everyone still insisted on gathering around and talking about the highlights of the game for at least an hour afterwards. I wasn't allowed to leave until Coach Kathy gave us the go ahead - and she was usually too busy chatting with parents and other coaches to do so. Even Texas was chilly this time of year after the sun went down and my skimpy uniform wasn't helpful in warding off the cold.

Any remaining adrenaline stored within my body was starting to disappear slowly and I wished for a hot cup of coffee for the energy and the warmth. I still had homework to do when I got home and a shift at The Vibe early tomorrow morning.

Jamie, a fellow cheerleader, sidled up to me with another girl that I didn't recognize next to her.

"Hey Cindy," she said, smiling. I noticed she was holding one of those huge, metal containers with a screw-top that a lot of the players and cheerleaders used to hold water during games and practices. By the slightly glazed look in her eye and the faint scent of alcohol that surrounded her, I had a feeling she wasn't drinking water. "You want some?" She shook the container at me.

"No thanks," I said and she just shrugged.

"Ladies," a deep voice said from behind me and I knew who it was without looking.

"Hi Bryan!" Jamie chirped, suddenly looking very excited. He just nodded to her and then turned his attention to me.

"I'm having a little get together tonight at my house. You're all welcome to come," he smiled at me, but I rolled my eyes. Jamie giggled.

"We would love to!" I had been doing my best to ignore any and all thoughts of Bryan, but the paper that held his phone number felt like a heavy presence that I carried with me at all times. I wanted to throw it away and forget about it but something was holding me back.

"What about you, Cindy?" Bryan asked me, his voice lowered.

Jamie and her friend left us to our own devices, undoubtedly going to spread the news about Bryan's party. I looked around not-so-subtly, hoping Libby was nearby so she could save me. I noticed Jimmy and Betty were still talking to each other on the field. Betty grabbed Jimmy by the arm and they started to walk away. The familiar sinking feeling in my stomach was back. I saw Jimmy start to turn his head towards us, but I quickly looked back to Bryan before we could make eye contact. I didn't need any more interactions with Miss Perfect and the Annoying Genius for awhile.

Bryan was looking at me with one eyebrow raised. "I can't tonight. I have a lot of homework," I said, realizing that I probably sounded like I was making up a lame excuse.

He seemed unfazed. "You never called me, you know," he replied and wasn't at all sure what to say about that. "Not that I expected you to."

"You didn't?"

"No way. I think it would be a miracle if you tried making any sort of contact with me on your own," he was smiling again.

I sighed. "You know, if this is some sort of twisted version of reverse psychology you're trying to use on me then just save it. That won't work on me."

Bryan held up his hands in mock-surrender, but he was laughing now. "I will never get to used to that amazing wit of yours."

I felt surprisingly warm from the compliment and I shook my head at him, biting back a smile. I wasn't sure why Bryan was so insistent on hunting me down or why he wouldn't ever leave me alone. The fact that he was Betty's ex-boyfriend made him so unappealing to talk to, but I had to admit that he was cute and sort of funny. But I wouldn't ever admit that to him.

"Since you're busy tonight, make you could add something to your busy schedule?" He asked, and I shrugged, fully expecting another date invite. "I'm having a big party Halloween weekend. Just imagine delicious punch, good music, and a costume contest. I want you to be there. You can bring anyone you want."

Halloween was only a couple weeks away but I hadn't thought about making plans or wearing a costume. Libby loved Halloween and the thought of dressing up. I knew if I told her about the party she would be begging for me to go with her. It _did_ sound a little fun...as long as it didn't end up anything like Betty's party did.

"I'll think about it," I said reluctantly.

"That's almost a yes, and that's the best answer I could've hoped for from you," Bryan winked at me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again. In the distance, I heard someone call for Bryan. He barely raised his eyes from mine to acknowledge it. "I'll see you there then."

"I never said I was going," I huffed. He laughed and settled a hand on my shoulder for a moment; warm and almost comforting.

"By the way, you make a pretty hot cheerleader."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I had underestimated just how hard juggling everything I was doing was going to be. I loved the extra cash I was making while working at the Vibe and was able to save most of it. If I wasn't working, then I was in class, at practice, or a game. At the moment I was maintaining my 4.0 GPA but I could feel that lately it was easier for me to forget things - like homework assignments and meals. I was tired but I kept telling myself it would be worth it.

I was frequently visiting Mrs. Lawrence's office and asking about scholarship applications, but she always told me the same thing: most of the scholarships were only for seniors, shouldn't you wait to worry about those? And then she would cheerfully ask me to help out with yet another fundraiser, and I would agree to putting another obligation on my plate.

I shouldn't have been so surprised that I had forgotten about the AP Chem exam happening in two days. I never forgot about tests but this one had slipped right under my radar - somewhere between all the late nights spent studying and early mornings taking the breakfast shifts. This was my hardest class and I was going to be absolutely screwed if I didn't get an A on it.

I _was_ surprised when Jimmy had offered to help me study. Everything inside my body was screaming at me to refuse the help but I knew I couldn't afford it. It had probably taken a lot out of him to even offer the help but I was thinking, as I was standing on Jimmy's front porch, that this was actually going to kill me.

Judy Neutron answered the door just mere seconds after I had knocked with a wide smile on her face. "Hello dear," she sang out. "Jimmy told me you were coming over to study so I have lots of snacks for you two if you get hungry. Hugh and I are going out to dinner tonight but if you need _anything_ just let me know." I couldn't do anything but nod at her. She was always so cheerful and loving and I felt a little jealous of Jimmy. I ignored the slight stomach growl that occurred after the mention of snacks and thanked her.

She told me that the boy genius in question was in his room, so I went upstairs. Jimmy was sitting at his desk reading something and I suddenly felt nervous. I knocked on the door although it was already open and he looked up at me, small smile on his face.

"I'm almost surprised you showed up. Usually you would rather swim with sharks than accept help from me," he said jokingly. He was right about that. I cursed the fact that he knew me so well.

"I really need to ace this test," I said, and his face went serious.

"You will."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

I checked my phone and I had a text from Betty. She had seemed a little disappointed when I told her I was going to be studying for an exam instead of hanging out with her tonight, but she hadn't seemed angry about me cancelling.

I hadn't exactly told her I was going to be studying with Cindy. I felt bad about omitting that part but it was probably too late now. I wasn't even sure why I felt like holding back that piece of information. I knew if I told her exactly what I was doing, she would accept it with a smile. If I was completely honest with myself, I didn't mind the night off from Betty. I really liked her but the more time I spent with her, the less time I spent at home with my parents, with Goddard, or in my lab. I hadn't invented anything in months. I wasn't sure if I could even blame Betty for being a distraction - I had no one to blame but myself for that.

I immediately realized once we started studying that Cindy wasn't in the mood for jokes or anything but intense focus on the task at hand, but I didn't stop trying to get her to lighten up. I managed to get her to crack a smile a few times, but a couple hours had passed and she still seemed worried.

I had given her a couple practice problems to do, and she handed the paper back to me and I looked it over. "This one is wrong," I said, pointing to the first one. "The work you did is right but the answer isn't-"

She ripped the paper from me and stared at it for a moment before cutting her eyes to me. "I can't concentrate," she admitted. "Maybe we should take a quick break and...drink some coffee."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I think you need to get help for your caffeine addiction." We made quick work of shoving our books and papers to the side and I led her to the kitchen. It was nearly 7 at night now, and it felt a little odd to be making an entire pot of coffee this late.

"Do you need sugar?" I asked slowly as I watched Cindy pour a cup to the brim with coffee and start drinking it with hesitation. "Never mind. That's disgusting."

She snorted into her cup. "Don't be such a baby, Nerdtron."

"How is being a cheerleader working out for you?" I asked while opening the container of homemade cookies my mom had left on the counter. I held it out to Cindy and she shook her head but I just shoved it closer to her, knowing that she probably hadn't eaten since lunch today. She rolled her eyes but snagged a cookie anyway.

"It's actually not bad. It's more fun than I thought it would be," she finally answered.

This was the perfect moment to ask her the questions I had been thinking for weeks now; about the jacket, the kiss, Bryan, why she joined the squad. It was quiet and mostly dark in my kitchen, and Cindy seemed content to drink coffee and not say much else. Unfortunately, I felt the familiar urge bubbling up inside again - I had to say something.

"I saw you talking to Bryan the other night, after the game," I said. I was definitely expecting some sort of violent reaction to that considering the last time I'd brought Bryan up to her, she wasn't exactly nice about it. But she calmly refilled her mug and didn't seem too bothered.

"Oh?"

"I thought you didn't like him."

Cindy returned the coffee pot to its rightful place a little harder than was needed and that was the only reaction I needed to know she wasn't happy. She turned around and glared at me. "I thought it wasn't any of your business."

"No need to get so defensive, Vortex. You're my friend and I just get a...bad feeling about him," I said and she laughed in disbelief.

"Did that _bad feeling_ start before or after you found out he's Betty's ex-boyfriend? Did she tell you that he was an evil scumbag, or what? Because I'm trying to figure just what exactly is your problem with him or me talking to him."

I just stared at her, trying to comprehend what she had just said. "What did you say?"

"Oh my god, Nerdtron, I am not repeating myself," she took a breath in order to most likely repeat herself even though she just claimed she wasn't going to, but she paused, looking at me oddly. She waved a hand in front of my face. I was still trying to wrap my head around _ex-boyfriend_. "Are you having a malfunction?"

"Bryan is Betty's ex-boyfriend?"

"She didn't tell you?" Cindy scoffed, obviously not believing me. I just shook my head and she slowly uncrossed her arms from their previous, tensed stance. "Oh shit. You're not lying, are you?"

I shook my head again. "I had no idea. But it makes sense now."

And it really did. All the times Betty had seemed unhappy or angry had all been times when Bryan had been around. That would explain why he was at her party in the first place. Why didn't she just tell me? I wasn't angry at her for having an ex-boyfriend - that would be ridiculous - but I found it strange that we both had seen him multiple times since we had started dating and she hadn't mentioned it.

"What makes sense?"

"Nevermind, it's nothing. It's not important," I said, returning the lid back onto the cookie container and decided to try and forget about it. I turned around so I could put the container back on the counter and so I didn't have to look at Cindy's big, inquiring eyes that made me want to spill all of my thoughts.

"I think it's important to you," Cindy said quietly.

"We should probably get back to studying. We're wasting time," I said and started to walk out of the kitchen.

Cindy grabbed my arm, stopping me. "I'm not studying with you until I know you're okay," she said. Her grip on my arm was firm but her hand was warm and soft.

"Cindy, I'm fine. It's really not a big deal," I assured her.

"I'm sorry that I had to be the one to tell you. Maybe the bad feeling about him will go away now, though. I mean, he can't be _that_ bad if Betty dated him," she joked, releasing her grip on my arm and poking me lightly in the chest. She was trying to make me feel better and surprisingly, it was working.

I laughed at that. "You're probably right. I guess that would explain why Bryan is always hanging around you and asking you out. He saw us all together at Betty's party. I doubt he's happy that I'm dating Betty now."

Cindy's playful expression disappeared and I saw a flash of hurt in her eyes, but it was gone in the same instant I had seen it, making me wonder if it had even been there at all. "We should probably go study now, since you're feeling better," she said and stepped around me, leaving the kitchen.

I wasn't sure what I had said to make her mood to a complete 180 but I wished I could take it back. For the remainder of the night, I tried to get her back to the way we had been in the kitchen, joking around and actually being nice to each other. There was something quite obviously bothering her, and I had a strong feeling it was about what I'd said about Bryan. Once we had covered everything she needed to remember for the exam, Cindy left without much more than a goodbye.

I watched from my window as she walked from my house to mine and continued to stare at her house even after she disappeared. Just a few moments later I could see the light turn on in her room. She was probably still studying. I felt a little helpless and told myself I would figure it out tomorrow. I could invite her over to study again and maybe even apologize. I wasn't sure what I would be apologizing for, but I knew I had to try.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

Jimmy's words from earlier rang throughout my head the rest of the night - _that would explain why Bryan is always hanging around you and asking you out._ So matter-of-factly stated, as if he had just figured out the solution to a problem. He thought Bryan only talked to me because I was friends with him. He probably believed the only reason I had been asked on a date was so Bryan could get back at Betty. The entire thought of it was hurtful in more ways than one.

It would definitely be my luck that Betty would receive the attention from both Bryan _and_ Jimmy and I was like the catalyst or the distraction that got in the way.

Jimmy probably hadn't meant to be insensitive and that why I had refrained from yelling at him. In fact, he probably didn't even know he'd said anything to make me angry. I almost felt bad for him for being the one to tell him that the guy who kept popping up everywhere was Betty's ex-boyfriend.

The original plan I'd had was to go to Jimmy's house again tomorrow so I could study some more, but I was rethinking that now. The idea of going over there again filled me with dread. I would most likely have to listen to Jimmy talk about Bryan and Betty again. I was tired of Betty Quinlan. I had to see her every day at school and practice and then even when I was trying to study for a test I still couldn't get away from her. If I had any sort of good luck, he would forget about us studying together again and I could avoid talking to him.

Still amped up from the coffee I'd had earlier in the night, I decided to stay up and study some more before going to bed. I got out my books and study guides and stared at them, but I was unable to concentrate on anything but those damned words echoing in my head.

The most upsetting thing about it wasn't the thought of Bryan using me to get to Betty. I still barely knew Bryan and if he was trying to use me then I had no problem with kicking his ass all the way to Mexico. No, the upsetting part of it was that Jimmy didn't think that I was likable enough to gain Bryan's attention on my own. Maybe I wasn't pretty, interesting, or charming enough for Bryan. He had been with Betty, after all, and she was the opposite of me in most ways. She picked up the slack in all the departments in which I lacked - like kindness and selflessness to name a few. Usually I didn't care what other people thought of me and I just did things the way I wanted to do them so I could succeed and get what I wanted.

The thought of Jimmy thinking I wasn't any of those aforementioned things or that I wasn't as good as Betty sort of made me want to cry. I wanted to erase all of these thoughts out of my brain and go back to a time when things were much less uncomplicated than this. I could easily rewind back to summer when my dad was still my dad and Jimmy Neutron's opinions of me didn't matter.

I considered stealing one of Jimmy's dumb inventions in order to make that happen, but that wouldn't actually solve any of my problems. I decided to do the next best thing and went to bed, even though I laid awake for most of the night, wishing I were more like Betty Quinlan.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The next morning I was standing in the kitchen, comparing the nutritional values of a banana and an orange when my mother walked in. She brushed past me and started pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Your father called me this morning," she said in lieu of a greeting.

Appetite suddenly lost, I threw both fruits back into the huge bowl we kept on the island. It seemed like I was going to be having the "you dad isn't your real dad" conversation unexpectedly.

"He did?"

She turned to me as she sipped her coffee and studied me. I probably looked as nervous as I felt. "He said he's been trying to get a hold of you. He wants to you meet him at his office after school."

I nearly breathed a sigh of relief. I had been avoiding William for the past few weeks; he kept inviting me over for dinners and I kept declining. It's not that I didn't want to spend time at his house...the problem was that I did want to. I wanted to keep pretending he was my dad but all he wanted was to keep up a nearly two-decade long charade. It was easier to just avoid him, so that's what I did.

I nodded but she kept looking at me. "Is everything okay?" She asked, her voice more caring and warm than I was used to.

I just wanted to talk to her about everything. I wanted to scream and complain about not having money for school and how unfair it was that she kept such a huge secret for my entire life. I wanted to cry. I wanted to talk about Jimmy Neutron, who my mother probably still hated even after all these years. I wanted her to listen to me and comfort me like most moms do.

But I knew I couldn't do that, so I just smiled at her.

"I'm fine."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Once I got to school, I avoided my locker and went in the direction of Libby's instead so I could talk to her. All I really wanted right now was 5 minute distraction from everything happening in my life. I knew talking to Libby would make me feel better.

I turned the corner and wrinkled my nose when I realized that not only was she not alone at her locker, she had the entire nerd squad surrounding her. They were all talking and I had no interest in joining the conversation they were having, but I couldn't just turn around and leave. Libby was already waving me over.

"Hey Cin!" She said as she shoved a coffee that she seemingly pulled out of nowhere into my hand.

"Wha-how?" I stuttered, confused.

"Jimmy went to The Vibe and brought us all coffee," she explained, and I noticed they were all holding a cup.

Okay...this was too weird.

"Mr. Moneybags felt like being generous today," Sheen snickered, nudging Jimmy in the arm, who rolled his eyes. I wasn't even sure what to say. The right thing to do was probably to thank him, but I didn't even want to make eye contact, let alone talk to him.

Luckily, Libby filled the silence in quickly. "I was just telling the guys about a party I heard about yesterday."

"Is Betty having another party?" Carl asked and Jimmy shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"It's going to be during Halloween weekend. We should all go," Libby said and Sheen did an energized fist-pump in agreement.

I suddenly remembered Bryan telling me about the party he was having - with the costume contest and punch and his hand on my arm at the football game. "Oh! I bet you're talking about Bryan's party."

I thought Libby was going to snap her neck swinging her head to look at me so fast. "You know about it already?"

I immediately regretted speaking up. "He told me about it last week. I forgot all about it," I said sheepishly.

"Girl! You got a direct invitation, we definitely have to go now!" She said excitedly.

"I'm only going if Sheen will be DD this time," Carl spoke up.

I wanted to say something along the lines of _I'm not going to that party or any party ever again_ but a loud argument had already broken out between Sheen and Carl, with Libby and Jimmy trying to mediate. The first bell rang and I pulled Libby away so we could go to class.

I spent the rest of the day avoiding Jimmy and made sure to pay attention during chemistry, even though it was the last thing my mind wanted to focus on. I found myself spacing out towards the last few minutes of class and was startled when the last bell rang. I started packing my things quickly; wanting to get to William's office as soon as possible and get it over with so I could study...by myself.

I stood up to leave but stopped when I realized that Jimmy was standing by our table, staring at me. Waiting. I rolled my eyes as I adjusted the straps on my backpack so they weren't digging into my shoulders and went to step around him. He stepped to the side at the same time, blocking my only exit.

"Move, Nerdtron. Now," I stepped towards him again in what I hoped was an intimidating move, but he stood his ground instead of taking a step back like I'd hoped for.

"Are you coming over to study tonight?" He asked, his tone almost _too_ casual.

"No, I think I can handle it on my own. Thanks for all your help," I said, hoping that if I said something nice he would leave me alone. I hoped he didn't catch on to the sarcasm in my voice. By now everyone else had left the classroom, including Ms. Jennings.

"Are you sure about that?" He raised a brow at me and I shot him a glare in return.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing at all, Vortex. I just figured you wouldn't want to risk your GPA so far into the semester like this. It would be hard to come back from taking a bad grade on this test," he said in that damn arrogant tone I'd grown to hate over the years.

But he was right.

"You're absolutely infuriating, you know that?" He just shrugged. "Fine, I'll come over later."

He smiled at me, and it was only then that I realized he'd looked a little tense during our entire conversation. His shoulders slumped forward a little into a visibly more relaxed position.

"I'll be waiting."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I tried not to think about how I'd been absolutely duped into doing something I didn't want to do by Jimmy Neutron during the short drive to William's office. If I ended up getting anything less than an A+ on this test, I would be after his head.

Once again, I walked past the secretary, but she didn't even give me a second look this time. I debated on whether I should knock on the door to William's office and I decided to just walk in since he was the one who asked me to be here. He smiled once he saw it was me and I sat down in front of his desk, not even bothering with a greeting.

"Have you found a way for us to pay for Princeton?" I asked, and his smile fell a little. He cleared his throat a little before replying.

"Actually, yes, I do have some options that could work for you," he handed me a file folder and I actually started to feel a little excited. "But I had to call your mother because you haven't been answering your phone. I just wanted to ask you to dinner."

"You wanted to or Rebecca did?" I replied absently, flipping open the file to look at the contents inside.

William sighed, sounding a little frustrated. "Both of us, of course. I know that this isn't the ideal situation for either of us, but I raised you, Cindy. I still consider you to be my daughter-"

"Are you kidding me right now?" I asked incredulously, pointing at the file. "These are student loan applications."

William faltered for a moment, opening his mouth to speak but no words came out. He looked like he didn't know how to answer so I decided to continue.

"When I told you I wanted you to help me find a way to pay for school, this isn't what I meant."

"I'm not sure what you were expecting, Cindy," he said tiredly.

"Oh, I don't know, actual money? Scholarship applications? Literally anything but this?" I gathered all the papers and dumped them into the wastebasket that sat beside his desk. "I could've gotten those on my own, you know."

I knew that I was acting crazy, but I was fed up. William put his hands out in what I assumed was an attempt to placate me but it was too late. I was on a roll.

"You and I had a deal. I agreed to keep this quiet from Rebecca and my own mother as long as you agreed to help me. This is bullshit," I exclaimed.

"Cindy, you need to calm down right now," William said sternly, standing up from his desk chair. I recognized the scolding tone of voice and serious look from all the times I'd gotten in trouble while growing up and I remembered how it used to scare me back then. Now, I just wanted to laugh.

"I want you to tell me the truth - do you really not have the money to pay for my schooling, or are you just telling me that you don't because I'm not really your daughter?"

The look on his face told me the answer right away, but I wanted to hear him say it. He just looked at me, his expression full of sadness and discomfort.

"I deserve to know the truth," I said steadily, which was the exact opposite of how I felt. "Do you have the money or not?"

"I have the money," William replied roughly, rubbing his hand over his face tiredly. "I just...I can't give it to you. I'm sorry, Cindy."

He started to say something else, but I ran out of the room before I could hear another word.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

A quiet knock sounded on my bedroom door, and I nearly fell out of my desk chair trying to get up so fast to open the door. I'd been impatiently waiting for Cindy to arrive and dodging Betty's texts since I'd gotten home from school. I'd already bailed on Betty yesterday, and although she knew I was studying again tonight, I still felt bad for not spending more time with her. The problem was that if I saw Betty in person, I would inevitably bring up Bryan, and I didn't want to do that. Not yet, anyway. I wanted some more time to think about it.

I wanted to make it up to Cindy, though. I still wasn't sure what I'd done to get her so pissed off at me and at this point it didn't really matter as long as she could get past it. I'd gone to The Vibe before school to try and talk to her, but the barista that was working told me it was Cindy's day off. As soon as I'd gotten home, I carried as many snacks as I could up to my room and spread them out on my desk. I even asked my mom to make a pot of coffee so it would be ready when Cindy got here. If that didn't win her over, I wasn't sure what would.

I was instantly alarmed by Cindy's appearance when I opened the door. Her eyes were red and if I didn't know her so well, I would say it looked like she had been crying. She looked incredibly sad and small standing there; with her pony-tailed hair looking a little bit disheveled. She was wearing my jacket again. "Are you okay?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Instead of replying, Cindy stepped into my room and looked at the array of cookies, chips, and candy I had on my desk. Her eyes paused on the steaming cup of coffee that was sitting there, too. She glanced up at me and raised a brow. "What's all this?"

"Well, you seemed really mad when you left yesterday. I'm not sure what I said or did to piss you off, but whatever it's worth now, I'm sorry," I gestured lamely to my desk again and suddenly felt extremely nervous under her scrutiny.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," she said. She brushed past me in order to get to the quickly-cooling cup of coffee, but I caught the small smile on her face before she turned away from me.

I was pretty sure I was forgiven.

 **Coming up for the next chapter: the rest of the second study session, perhaps a revelation or two, and EMOTIONS. LOTS OF EMOTIONS.**


	10. emoji of a wave

**You guys should be proud of me. I was inspired by your reviews and since most of you said you were excited for the next chapter, I worked hard to finish this one quickly, and it's still long! Don't mind me, I'm just patting myself on the back over here. (Kidding!)**

 **Once again, I am extremely nervous about how this chapter will be received. I hope this lives up to everyone's expectations - please read the other author's note at the end of the chapter when you're done, and remember to review!**

 **Dangerous**

I wanted to ask Cindy if she was okay again, but I knew better. She seemed perkier after her first cup of coffee was gone and I gave her my version of a practice exam with questions that I thought would be on the real test. I didn't have much to do - I was still avoiding Betty's texts - as she worked on the test, so I just watched her. She'd made herself comfortable on my bed by laying on her stomach, her feet kicked up in the air. Her blonde hair had come completely free from its hair tie and was flowing down her back and over her shoulders instead. I could tell that her brows were furrowed in concentration, but I couldn't see her eyes since her head was down. I could just see long, dark eyelashes. Even though I thought it was pretty warm in my room, she was still wearing my jacket. The sleeves were too long for her and she had to keep pushing them up her arms as she wrote furiously on the paper. She looked beautiful.

She looked up at me suddenly, but didn't seemed to be startled by me already looking at her. She handed me the paper and smiled. "I don't mean to brag, but I think I aced that."

I laughed. "We'll just see about that."

Two hours flew by without us even realizing it. We'd spent most of the time going over problems and the rest of the time I listened to Cindy rant about all the girls on the cheerleading squad that she didn't like. While picking through some of the snacks on my desk, she had stumbled upon some of my college applications, most of which were for ivy league schools. I watched with interest as her eyes lit up when she held up Princeton's application almost reverently.

"Is that where you want to go?" She nodded. "I'm not sure where I want to go yet," I said quietly. I definitely thought I would have that figured out sooner than this.

"Maybe we'll end up going to the same school. UPenn is only a short drive from Princeton too," she commented. It was easy to imagine doing the exact same things we were doing now but at college instead. It made me smile.

"I might graduate early," I said abruptly. I hadn't told anyone, including Sheen and Carl, that I was thinking about that. Cindy looked up at me with wide eyes.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that. You could probably have a college degree by now if you wanted to," she replied with a short laugh. She set the applications back down and I had the feeling she was going to leave soon. I had the urge to keep talking so she would stay a little longer.

"But I don't mind high school. I kind of like where I'm at right now."

"I'm not sure what Retroville would be like without you," Cindy admitted, her voice soft. I stood up and tossed all our study sheets onto the desk. She looked up at me, and I wondered what it would be like to kiss her while we were both completely sober.

 _But you have Betty_ , my mind piped up. I did have Betty, and she was an amazing person. I knew how I felt about Betty. I knew that I liked her a lot and wanted to continue spending time with her. What I was feeling for Cindy, at least in this moment, wasn't anything I'd felt before.

I tugged lightly on one of the sleeve's to my jacket, causing Cindy to look down at her arm. "I'm starting to think you really like this jacket," I mused.

It was almost comical to see her cheeks turn a bright pink and she laughed nervously. "I should probably give this back to you," she said, and started to take it off. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Keep it. It's pretty much yours by now, anyway."

She just smiled up at me, still looking a little embarrassed. Her eyes widened as she glanced towards the clock on my wall. "Is it really after seven already? I told my mom I'd be home for dinner." She turned away from me and started shoving her books in her backpack. I watched her slide the straps onto her shoulders and she hesitated as she started to leave my room. "I really can't thank you enough for helping me, Jimmy. Just know that if I end up failing this test I'm taking you down with me."

"Who would I have to compete against if I let you fail this test and then get kicked out of school?"

She laughed, and stepped closer to me, much like she had earlier after chemistry when I wouldn't let her leave. "Don't get carried away, Neutron. I'll always be around to keep you on your toes."

"I hope so," I said honestly, surprising the both of us.

Cindy's smile fell and her expression was replaced with a look of yearning instead. She stepped closer to me and put a hand to my face, touching my cheek gently. I felt my breathing nearly stop and it was like I was frozen in place, unable to move or speak. Her hand moved to the back of my neck slowly, fingers curling into my hair, making me shiver. She turned her face up towards mine, just mere inches away from connecting our lips together. I could've swore she had a gravitational pull around her that threatened to pull me in and keep me there. But I had to stop her, because this was moving so slowly and yet way too fast at the same time and I couldn't do this to Betty.

"Cindy..." I said uneasily, effectively stopping her before things could go any further. She pulled her hand away from like she was burned and her face went blank. "Maybe we should talk about this. You know I'm dating Betty-"

"You're right, Neutron. It won't happen again," she said coldly. She left my room quickly, slamming the door shut behind her.

I tried my best to wrap my mind around what had just happened but I could only replay what had just happened in my mind like a broken record: Cindy Vortex was about to kiss me, and I pushed her away. I was still dating Betty. I couldn't hurt Betty like that, but I _wanted_ to kiss Cindy.

My room, which smelled like coffee and vanilla, felt empty and just a little lonely now that she was gone. I thought about how easy and comfortable it was to be around her - whether it was in my room or she was just standing across from me in my kitchen. I wanted to rid myself of the itchy, skin-crawling feeling that I had when I was around her or even thought about her. But it was a _good_ feeling. A feeling that had probably always been there, but had erupted when she kissed me during spin-the-bottle. It was a feeling I'd always written off as dislike as a result of our rivalry. I didn't know why she was driving me crazy, but I wanted to figure it out. I wanted to know if she felt the same way.

I had a decision to make. I could stay where I was and call Betty. Or I could go after Cindy.

 _I need to go after her._

With that thought, I quickly walked across my room and opened the door. I nearly ran into someone in my hurry to leave, and for a fleeting moment I thought - _hoped_ \- that it was Cindy. But it wasn't.

"Betty?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

I nearly stumbled down the stairs in Jimmy's house trying to leave as fast as I could. Luckily, neither of his parents were anywhere in sight and I took out my phone with the intent to call Libby as I shut the front door behind me. Since I wasn't paying attention, I was startled when I nearly bumped into someone coming down the stairs connected to the porch.

Betty Quinlan was there in front of me, in all of her perfect glory. "Hi Cindy," she said with a small smile. "What are you doing here?"

So, apparently Jimmy didn't tell Betty everything.

"Oh, uh, I was just over here asking Jimmy for some help with a test we have tomorrow for chemistry. I was just leaving," I said quickly, hoping it didn't sound like I had tried to kiss her love interest in his room mere moments ago.

"He's so helpful, isn't he?" She gushed, and I nearly gagged.

"He sure is," I muttered sarcastically, but I don't think she heard me.

"He invited me over tonight but I think I'm a little early. I hope I didn't cut your study session short," she continued, tilting her head at me slightly.

"Nope, you're fine," I said tightly, wanting nothing more than to get the hell away from this situation. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

I scooted past her and walked off quickly before she could say anything else. Instead of going inside my house, I just got in my car and decided to go to Libby's house rather than just call her. This was definitely an emergency. I made a few questionable driving choices; including running a stop sign and texting my mom to tell her I was going to study at Libby's for awhile before coming home. I had a feeling she wouldn't care if I skipped dinner.

I knocked frantically on Libby's door when I got there, and luckily she was the one who answered. She took one look at my panicked face and stepped outside onto her porch, shutting the door behind her. "Cindy, what's wrong?"

"Do you want to go shopping?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Libby was a good friend, so she didn't bring up my odd behavior right away. With a confused look on her face, she agreed to go shopping, even though it was nearly eight o'clock at night now. We got into my car and I drove in the direction of the mall. I wasn't sure what to say or how to say it. I knew I could tell her anything and she wouldn't judge me for it. I decided to say the one thing that I'd been hiding for weeks now.

"I found out that my dad isn't really my dad," I said, casually shattering the silent bubble we had created in the car. I felt tears prick at my eyes and I realized that this was the first time I'd said those words aloud - and they still didn't feel real.

Libby gasped. "Wait...wait. I think you just told me that your _dad_ isn't your _real dad_. I might have been hallucinating though. Are you for real?" She asked in disbelief. Her shocked response was probably the most appropriate one. I'd been given a few months to think about it and I wasn't really shocked anymore...just upset and angry.

I nodded but didn't say anything else. I could feel her staring at me, but I concentrated on the road in front of me. I knew that if I looked at her directly, I would burst into tears.

"Cindy...I honestly don't know what to say first. Like, how did you find out? And how did we not ever know this growing up?"

"He told me when I asked him about paying for college. That was when school started," I replied, and Libby let a noise of distress. "Today he told me he had the money but wouldn't be paying for school since I'm not his daughter."

I felt like a robot and my words were just a well-rehearsed, generic reply that I was programmed to say. I found a spot to park at the mall close to the doors. We only had an hour until the mall closed, but I wasn't even sure if I could even think about actually shopping.

"Oh my God, girl, I'm so sorry. I understand this is hard to talk about but I wish you would've said something sooner so I would've been able to help you," Libby said sadly and I pressed my hands to my cheeks, as if I could will the tears welling up into my eyes to go back down.

"You're the only person I've told."

She pulled me into a hug, and I congratulated myself on only letting out a few tears. I didn't need to cry over it because crying wouldn't help the situation I was in. I sniffed a little as the hug ended and I decided getting out of the car and moving on from this would be a good idea after all, so I opened my door and Libby followed suit.

"Wait, so were you at your dad's since we got out of school? It's kind of late."

"Uh...no, actually I was studying for awhile," I said, caught off guard by the question. I could hear my own voice sound a little unsure and I winced when I noticed Libby's suddenly suspicious facial expression. She stopped walking just as we were a few feet shy of the entrance doors to the mall and pinned me down with a look.

"Studying? Where and with who?"

"Why do you think I was with someone?"

"Because I know you. I know you can't lie for shit, and that if you were just studying alone or at your house, you would've just said so," she said smugly, and I grumbled a little.

"Fine. I was at Jimmy's."

I walked up to the doors and went inside, not wanting to see how she reacted to that. She caught up to me quickly, though. "I can't believe this. Were the two of you actually getting along?"

I tried not to remember the way he had looked at me and how close we had been to kissing barely an hour ago. I didn't want my mind to wander to places it didn't need to go. I didn't want to imagine what could've happened if I abruptly left his house like I'd had - because I actually _did_ know what would've happened. I would've kissed him, and he probably would've kissed me back. And then Betty would have appeared out of nowhere, ruining everything.

"Yeah, it went fine," I said shortly, and Libby fell silent again. Probably thinking of more questions to ask me. We made our way into the Halloween store and browsed through the expansive collection of decor covered in fake blood.

We spent the next forty minutes giggling over the ridiculous costume choices until the bored-looking person working the counter announced to us that they were closing. We left the mall empty-handed but Libby was full of couple-costume ideas for her and Sheen. I still wasn't sure if I wanted to even celebrate Halloween, but it provided a good distraction.

I stopped in front of Libby's house to drop her off. She turned to me before she exited the car, "I hope you know you don't have to go through any of this alone. I know now why you've been working so hard in school lately. I wish this wasn't happening to you." Great, now I felt like crying again. I opened my mouth to say something, but she continued. "I'm here for you whenever you want to talk about your family stuff. Or Jimmy."

She got out and shut the door before I could say a word. I sat there, staring at the spot she had just vacated, for a few long moments before I convinced myself to go home.

 _Or Jimmy?_ I hadn't even told her what had happened with Jimmy. I swear that girl was a psychic sometimes.

I didn't need to talk about Jimmy. I really wanted to pretend that I didn't know why I had felt the sudden, intense urge to kiss him earlier. It was the combination of how he had looked at me and told me he hoped I'd always be around and the fact that he'd insisted on helping me study for a stupid fucking test. It was the fact that I've had some sort of feelings for him for as long as I've known him. It's just intensified now; like my heart has been spiralling out of control ever since we kissed at Betty's party. It was how comfortable I felt being around him, just talking and taking jabs at each other without any of the real malice we used to use when interacting.

And for as long as I can remember, Jimmy Neutron has always felt comfortable. Like the feeling of coming home after a long trip and wearing your favorite clothes, curling up to watch your favorite movie, and sleeping in your own bed. Because even when we're fighting or he makes me so angry that I can't see straight, it just feels right to me. He's always been there. As my neighbor, my rival, eventually my friend and now...I felt more than all of that for him. I didn't know if he felt the same way about me. For all I knew, I was just his annoying neighbor and classmate that tried to one-up him in everything. The girl who insulted his hair and brain and was always defensive.

I could see why he liked Betty so much. She was the queen of being nice, lovely, and warm. She deserved someone like Jimmy Neutron, who is loyal and funny and smart, and he deserves her, too. Someone that he can get along with all of the time. Someone who isn't too stubborn to admit when she's wrong or her feelings. And that was definitely me. I wanted more than anything to tell him how I really felt, but I was too fucking scared. I knew he couldn't possibly feel an ounce of what I felt for him.

I felt shitty for even trying to kiss Jimmy - who was obviously doing his best to stay faithful to Betty without hurting my feelings. But they were hurt anyway. I wanted to be the one he had feelings for. No matter what way I looked at it, I was in the wrong here. I would be lucky if Jimmy decided not to tell Betty what happened earlier. She would probably put my head on a pitchfork and carry it through the town square. They both had every right to be angry with me.

I pulled into my driveway and got out of my car, not even bothering to take my backpack with me. There was no use in studying anymore. I wasn't going to Princeton without any money - unless I wanted to take out nearly 200,00 dollars in student loans. I still wanted to do well in school but Princeton, which used to feel like my near future, now felt like a pipe dream.

Betty's car was still parked outside of Jimmy's house and I quickly went inside. I forced Humphrey to follow me up to my room so I didn't have to be alone. I laid on my bed and tried not to cry. I watched Humphrey as he turned several circles at the foot of my bed before settling down with a dramatic sigh. He looked up at me with dark eyes for a few moments before he drifted off to sleep. I could only hope it would be that easy for me to fall asleep, too.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

"What are you doing here?" I asked the smiling, dark-haired girl in front of me.

Betty giggled, rolling her eyes at me playfully. "I'm here to see you silly!" She grabbed my hand and pulled us both into my room, shutting the door with a soft _click_.

I was caught halfway between wanting to ask her if she had seen Cindy leave and cursing myself for not checking my phone when I'd had the chance when Betty pulled me into a kiss, wrapping her arms around my neck.

Usually when Betty and I kissed, it was soft and almost shy, never lasting more than a minute or so. I always wanted to take things a little further but I was unsure if she felt the same, so I never took the initiative. This kiss, however, was much different than all the others. It felt more passionate and real, like a coming home kiss, if I'd ever experienced one. I instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer. I was so surprised when I felt her tongue tap against my lips that I pulled away from her.

"Was that too much ?" She asked with worry in her wide eyes.

"No, no. I'm sorry," I said, and she relaxed visibly. "Betty, is everything okay?"

She untangled her arms from my neck and sat down on the bed with a flop that was very un-Betty like. "Everything's fine. I just...missed you," she admitted quickly. "We haven't really talked except for at school all week and I know we're both busy with our own things but I was starting to get afraid that maybe...your feelings towards me had changed."

She looked up at me, total vulnerability written across her face. Even in such a serious moment, I was struck by the personality differences between the two girls I felt like I was being pulled between. In front of me sat Betty, who was so honest and open with me, and Cindy kept running away - literally.

I sat down on my bed next to her and grabbed her hand. She gave me a squeeze. "My feelings haven't changed," I assured her. That part was true and I didn't mind telling her. The part I was afraid to admit was that maybe I was developing feelings weren't for her. "I just want to continue taking things slow, if that's okay with you."

She gave me a small, hopeful smile. "I came over here to ask you something else, but it might not be in your best interest now that you've said that."

"What is it?"

"Every year for Halloween my parents throw a huge party and invite everyone they know. There's always good food and a little haunted house they put together in our backyard. It should be fun. I was hoping that you would come with me," she said.

"Why is that not in my best interest?" I asked, confused.

"If you want to take things slow you might not want me to introduce you to my parents just yet."

I felt nervous at the prospect of making things between us so official. "It does sound like fun," I replied. "Can I have a little time to think about it?"

"Of course!"

She pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms around her back. She seemed content to stay in this position for awhile, with her head tucked under my chin. I ignored the little feeling I had that was telling me to run.

What was I getting myself into?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

I woke up the next day still wearing the clothes I wore the day before, including Jimmy's jacket. I threw all the clothes into the washing machine after I showered. I had to return the jacket soon. It didn't belong to me.

I needed to find a way to move on, but I didn't know where to start. A good plan would be to pass my chemistry test today with flying colors, continue saving money for school (whether that school happened to be Princeton or not), and forget about Jimmy forever. I wasn't feeling so confident about achieving all of those things.

I went into the kitchen so I could say hi to mom before leaving for school. She was on the phone so I kept walking, but she waved her hand to stop me. She pulled the phone away from her face briefly to say, "Libby is waiting in the living room. Have a good day at school!"

Confused, I walked into the living room and sure enough, there was Libby. "Hey!" she said happily when she saw me. "I thought we could ride to school together today, is that okay?"

I shrugged, grabbing the cheerleading jacket that was part of uniform from the closet by the front door. "That's fine, but I have practice after school today."

"No biggie! Sheen has a soccer game after school and I'm his ride, too. You can come watch his game with me when you're done with practice!"

We walked out my front door and I could see Sheen and Carl sitting in the backseat of Libby's car. Sheen was talking animatedly.

"I also thought we could go shopping again afterwards, if you want. I really want to get a Halloween costume this time, and then we can get some makeup to match and -"

"Woah, calm down Libby! Did Sheen slip you some of his meds this morning?" I said in order to stop her ramblings. She just laughed.

"No, I just...I don't want want you to be alone. I know you'll never ask me or anyone else for help so I'm forcing it upon you," she said somewhat sheepishly. I couldn't help but smile at her gratefully. "Plus, this way I can make sure our Halloween costumes look bangin' for Bryan's party."

I was grabbing my backpack out of my backseat as she said this and nearly dropped it when she said that. "Hold it - I never said I would go to that party."

"I think it would be good for you. If you don't have fun within the first thirty minutes, then we can leave, I promise. But I think you deserve to have a good time," she pleaded.

"Fine," I said on a sigh. "But if I don't have fun then no one else at that party will be having fun either." With that declaration, I stomped off towards her car.

"That's the Cindy I know and love!"

The ride to school felt odd without our fifth person with us, no matter how much I wanted to avoid him. As soon as the school building came into sight, I began to feel nervous about my upcoming chemistry test. Unfortunately I had all day to feel nervous before I could get it over with.

I was immediately bombarded by Jamie when I walked in the building. "Did you hear what's happening today?" She asked me excitedly, nearly jumping up and down.

"Is it that you're going to shut up and leave me alone?" I muttered under my breath. Libby elbowed me in the ribs. Jamie didn't act like she had heard me and continued to bounce around annoyingly.

"Coach is announcing team captain today!"

I glanced at Libby and she was looking at me with wide eyes. "How do you know this?" I asked.

"It's all the seniors have been talking about for like, three days now. Everyone says it's going to be Betty Quinlan but I bet it'll be you."

"Why has it taken her so long to announce captain? Football season is almost over," Libby said.

Jamie just shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's more symbolic than anything else. Team captain gets all the glory if we win the Dallas competition. You'd be the star of the team." Her eyes took on a dreamy look.

Libby chuckled. "You hear that, Cin? That you could be you."

I rolled my eyes and Jamie walked away, seemingly disappointed by our unspirited reactions to her news.

"Well, I _would_ love getting all the glory."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

I didn't see much of Cindy until lunchtime. She hadn't so much as given me a second glance all morning long. I was surprised to see her, along with everyone else, already sitting down when I got to the table. It was a rare occurrence that she sat with us at lunch anymore, always seeming too busy with other things to take the time to eat anything. She was picking at her lunch absently and didn't even look up at me when I sat down in my usual spot across from her.

"-I don't care what I said in the past, I think this needs to be a fair draw between all of us," Sheen was saying when I sat down.

"I was DD for the last party, and I told you that you'd have to be DD next time-"

"He did say that," Libby chimed in, interrupting Carl's heated rant. Sheen gave Libby a pleading look that said _please agree with me_.

"- and you're gonna actually do it this time!" Carl finished.

Sheen poked me. "Jim, we need your input. Do you think we should draw straws to decide who is DD for the Halloween party?" His eyes lit up suddenly. "Unless _you_ wanna volunteer."

"Actually, I don't think I'm going to that party," I said. "And to be honest I don't think you guys should either."

Everyone at the table, including Cindy, stopped what they were doing to give me an odd look.

"Why aren't you going?" Carl asked.

"Betty's parents have a big Halloween party every year and she invited me to go with her...to meet her parents and stuff," I said uncomfortably.

Sheen waggled his eyebrows. "Hell yeah, things are getting serious between Jimmy and Queen Bee! I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers," he said seriously, patting me on the back. I rolled my eyes at him. He turned to glare at Carl. "Looks like it's between me and you, buddy."

"Well what about the girls? They can drive, too," Carl complained.

Libby scoffed. "Hell no I can't," she said and Sheen nodded.

"Whatever my queen says she can't do, she doesn't have to do."

The three of them turned to look at Cindy, who set her fork down on her tray with a clang, making Carl jump slightly. "I'm not being DD. I'm the one who got invited to the party in the first place," she said.

"Homegirl has a point."

Sheen's glare went up tenfold. "I guess it's between you and me, buddy," he said to Carl.

I decided to speak up before things went any further. "Guys, can't you find a different party to go to that doesn't require you to drive at all?"

"Why don't you want us to go to this party?" Sheen asked.

I didn't actually know how to answer that. "Maybe it's because he doesn't know how to have fun," Cindy said smartly, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Are you kidding me? Jimmy is loads of fun," Sheen insisted. "He has a hover car and all kinds of other cool stuff for me to play with."

"Is that all I'm good for?" I asked but it fell on deaf ears.

Cindy started to get up from the table even though it was only half way through the lunch period. "I can't handle being around you nerds anymore. I'll see you later, Libby." She was walking away before Libby replied.

"Is it just me, or is Blondezilla extra cranky today?" Sheen observed.

No one bothered to answer him.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

It wasn't every day that I forced my teachers to grade my tests immediately after I took them, but this one was an exception. I couldn't wait another second to find out if I had passed, and Ms. Jennings was notoriously slow at grading.

She didn't put up much of a fight when I made my request; just raising an eyebrow before taking out a red pen and hunkering over my paper.

It was the longest ten minutes of my life.

She recapped her pen and handed the paper to me, and I found myself staring at a big fat A at the top of my paper. "Oh my God, I got an A," I breathed.

"Congratulations," she deadpanned, not even looking at me.

"Can I take this with me?" I asked excitedly, and she just waved me off.

I only had ten minutes now to get ready for practice, but I didn't care. I had _passed_. I pushed on the classroom door harder than what was probably needed, and I heard an "oh shit" from behind it and I panicked.

Looking around the door, I found Jimmy. He was rubbing his hand. "You need to watch where you're swinging doors, Vortex. You're lucky I saw that coming and held my hand out."

I waved the test in his face without even acknowledging his words. Any of thought of avoiding him, Betty Quinlan, or our almost-kiss disappeared from my consciousness completely. I was too elated to even think about those things.

He snatched the paper out of my hand to get a better look. He looked up at me and grinned widely. "You got an A!"

And then we were hugging each other in the middle of the damn hallway like we were in some sort of cheesy romantic comedy. After a second, I realized what was happening and pulled away from him completely. Fortunately, the hallways were already of clear of everyone except for a few stragglers.

"I gotta get to practice," I said quickly, grabbing my test back from him.

"Cindy, wait just a minute. I want to talk to you."

"I'm going to be late, Neutron. Thanks for making sure I got an A."

I started to walk away but he suddenly had a firm grasp around my wrist, pulling me back towards him. I tried to pull away but it was clear that he was stronger than me and apparently more determined. "Just let me go, Jimmy," I said pleadingly.

"If I let you walk away right now, I know we won't ever talk about what happened. You're a pro at avoiding me."

"There's nothing to talk about because nothing happened," I shot back at him.

"That's only because I stopped you," he said somewhat arrogantly.

By now his hold had loosened somewhat on my arm and he obviously thought I was going to stand here and listen to what he think he needed to say. I ripped my arm out of his grasp and took a step back for good measure.

"I want you to forget about what happened or _didn't_ happen yesterday in your room, because it was a mistake on my end - one that I don't plan on ever repeating. I want you to leave me alone. Do you think you can handle that?"

The words were just falling out of me as if the filter I had between my mind and my mouth had malfunctioned. Here's what I really wanted to say: It wasn't a mistake. Please break up with Betty and be with me instead. _I love you_.

I couldn't say any of those things, though. I knew exactly what the consequences would be if I did. He would reject me and ultimately tell me that Betty was the one who wanted to be with - and that would kill me.

Jimmy just stared at me, his face blank. It felt like ages had passed when he finally spoke. "If that's what you want," he said quietly.

It wasn't what I wanted at all but it was how it had to be. My eyes were threatening to leak tears for what seemed to be the millionth time this week, so I quickly turned and walked down the hall in the direction of the gym. I was probably already late for practice, but I didn't care anymore.

When I was younger, my mom always told me that high school would be the best four years of my life. I was starting to think that she had lied about that, too.

 **Y'all are gonna** _ **hate**_ **me. Listen...I liked writing Betty and Jimmy's scene probably as much as you liked reading it, but it was necessary to the plot, okay? I promise I'm not evil! And remember - this story has a happy ending. It just takes awhile to get there. Jimmy is very confused right now. Cindy knows herself but she uses anger to push people away. That's all I can say.**

 **Just in case you're confused - Cindy leaves Jimmy's house and bumps into Betty, who then goes upstairs to see Jimmy - it just doesn't seem that it happens in that order. The way I'd wrote this sort of makes it sound like Betty is upstairs with Jimmy but then downstairs again when she bumps into Cindy in the next scene. However, I'm not sure if I'm overthinking it, so that's how I left it. My god...I hope I was just overthinking it. I think my brain is fried. I'm also probably the Queen of Long Author's Notes.**

 **Next chapter: we find out who gets to be team captain, and you'll get to read Jimmy's thoughts about Cindy and Betty. Then, Bryan's party!**

 **Any guesses on who will be captain, or what the gang will wear for Halloween? ;)**


	11. i like me better

**I'm so sorry about the delay, you guys. This chapter is seriously like a week late. I was honestly just very unhappy with everything I was writing so it took me a little longer. I'm also fighting a terrible cold and trying to figure out when I can get ready for the upcoming holiday in between sleeping and working long shifts. But enough about me - I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm still not 100% sure about it. It's the longest one of the story so far.**

 **I hope you like the choices for the Halloween costumes! To be honest, I didn't take too long to decide who would be what. It was sort of spontaneous. Slight disclaimer: I don't even watch Game of Thrones. I know enough about it to recognize characters and some of the plot. I just thought Cindy's costume would fit her physically/personality-wise pretty well!**

 **This chapter has a little bit of quick switching back and forth between POVs since Jimmy and Cindy are going to different parties! Hopefully that won't bother you guys too much - I think it keeps the story interesting. :) Enjoy!**

 **Dangerous**

With only a minute to spare until practice was supposed to begin, I practically slid into the gym, still clutching my chemistry test. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that the rest of the squad was still dressed in normal clothes, signifying that I wouldn't be running laps for being late. The entire squad was sitting in the middle of the gym floor with Coach Kathy standing in front of them.

I felt slightly embarrassed as everyone looked at me, including Kathy. She pointed to a spot on the floor near the front and I sat down quickly. "Now that we're all here, I want to start off by saying that this is one of the best squads I've had in years," she said. "Some of you have been cheering with me as your coach for a few years now, which means you know that what I've done this year is unusual for me."

I glanced around, discreetly looking for Betty. She was sitting just a few feet down from me, smiling pleasantly. There was no doubt in my mind that Kathy would pick Betty to be team captain. Although I had to admit, the idea of beating her was more appealing to me every day. I had started this whole endeavor for the potential money but I had a feeling that being captain had a lot more perks than I realized.

"Usually I choose team captain within the first few weeks of the football season," Kathy continued. "That's because the person who is capable of being a strong role model will show their abilities to me in that short of amount of time. This year is different because there isn't just one person who stands out to me. I've been debating between a few possible candidates."

She bent down and picked up a bag I hadn't even noticed was sitting next to her on the ground. "As I was trying to decide between two of you, I realized that I didn't have to choose at all. Having two captains would be beneficial for all of us."

Excited chattering started up around me; noise growing by the second. Kathy did her best to try to hush the crowd but it was useless. She rolled her eyes and opened the bag, pulling out what looked like the letter man jackets we already wore with our uniforms - except they said "captain" on them. She dropped the bag, now holding one jacket in each hand. Without another word, she held one out to Betty who stood up and grabbed it from her quickly, squealing in delight. I barely had time to suppress my eye roll as her little friends congratulated her when Kathy made direct eye contact with me. She held out the other jacket to me and I took it from her slowly.

"Stand up, Vortex," she said and I did so hesitantly. She motioned for Betty and I to stand on either side of her so we were facing everyone else.

"Everyone, meet your new co-captains."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I had just finished changing out of my practice clothes and was stuffing them into my duffel bag when my open gym locker suddenly slammed shut. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw it was Betty on the other side, standing rigidly with one hand still on my locker.

"What the hell are you doing skulking around like that?" I asked, my heart beating fast. I took a quick glance around and wasn't surprised to see that the locker room was empty except for us. Kathy had pulled us both aside after practice to talk about our "duties" as co-captains. I was dreading the thought of having to share a title with Betty Quinlan.

"You need to quit," she said. It was then that I realized that she was glaring at me as if she wanted to set me on fire with her eyes. I had a brief moment of deja vu - she looked as angry as she did on the day I found out I was on the squad. I should've known that she would be unhappy after Coach Kathy's announcement today.

"Quit what?"

She huffed angrily. "The _squad_. I'm not sharing my title as captain with you or anyone else."

I felt a burst of anger swelling up inside me; quick and red-hot. "Excuse me? I'm not quitting anything. Nice try, Quinzilla."

I didn't think it was possible, but her face grew redder and her eyes narrowed even more. "Fine, don't quit. Just tell Coach Kathy you resign your position as captain." She left the statement open-ended, as if she were saying _or else_. If she weren't pissing me off so badly, I would laugh. She was obviously doing her best to intimidate me but failing spectacularly.

"That's not gonna happen. I hate to break it to you, Betty, but you're not going to get rid of me that easily," I pasted on a smile for good measure, knowing it would rile her up even more. I wouldn't be surprised if she started throwing a tantrum like a two-year-old.

She returned my sarcastic smile with a more real-looking one; suddenly turning back into the docile, happy-go-lucky Betty that everyone knew and loved. "Cindy," she started in a sickly sweet voice, "I don't share well with others - that includes this squad. I tried being nice to you. I really did."

It felt like my blood had frozen in my veins because I had a feeling her sharing statement wasn't just about this dumb cheerleading squad and a position that no one would care about in twenty years. This had to be about Jimmy, too. I had been hopeful that he hadn't told her anything about what happened last night, but maybe I was wrong to hope that. Betty was still standing there, smiling prettily, waiting for my reaction. I was determined to not give her the reaction she wanted. I roughly pulled the zipper on my duffel bag and turned to face her fully.

"I guess we do have something in common then. I don't like to share either. You might want to be careful from now on, Queen Bee. I'm coming for everything you've got."

Her smile had disappeared at this point and her glare was back full-force.

"Betty?" A voice called out - most likely one of her little friends coming to look for her.

"Coming!" Betty called out cheerfully, not at all sounding like she had just threatened me. "You know," she said to me in a much quieter voice, "Jimmy was right about you. You really do bring out the worst in people."

She turned on her heel and left the locker room. I was more than a little stunned - the perfect Betty Quinlan had turned into real life fire-breathing dragon right in front of my eyes. If I were anyone else, I would actually be a little scared right now. But I would place my bets on Betty being all talk and no bite. Her scare tactics weren't going to work on me.

I was a little perturbed by the comment she'd made before she left - I brought out the worst in people? I didn't want to imagine Jimmy saying that, but maybe he had. It was also probably true. I apparently had the ability to turn a good natured girl like Betty into a cranky bitch without too much effort on my part.

I wasn't too mad about it, though. Just knowing that I could get under her skin was enough to make me happy.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

I breezed through the chemistry exam, watching Cindy out of the corner of my eye as she took hers. She didn't seem to be struggling. I left the classroom with enough time to go to my locker and then come back and wait for Cindy before she finished her test. She didn't come out when the bell rang and I had an inkling that she was forcing Ms. Jennings to grade her test before anyone else's. Our conversation at lunch left a lot of questions in my mind. I wanted to talk to her about what happened last night and I wanted to know if she was actually planning on going to Bryan's party.

I was still on the fence about going to Betty's party with her, but I could tell she was so excited about it that I found it hard to tell her that. Every time she brought it up, her eyes lit up. I could tell she wanted me to go with her more than anything.

Happiness was radiating off of Cindy as she showed off her A, and I was a little smug in the fact that I was the one that helped make her so happy by studying with her. Deep down I knew that I couldn't take any of the credit, though. She was the smartest girl I knew and she probably would've passed without my help anyway.

I was more than a little hurt when she said she wanted me to forget about our almost-kiss yesterday and to leave her alone. That was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't want to believe her when she insisted that she'd made a mistake but she had said it so seriously and without hesitation so I knew I just needed to let it go, to let _her_ go. It was hard to watch her walk away.

Maybe it was for the best. Betty seemed to genuinely liked me and I liked her. Maybe our relationship would develop into something more and I really would forget about Cindy.

It was obvious to me now that I wasn't going to be able to have Betty as a girlfriend and Cindy as a friend at the same time. The thought of breaking up with Betty flitted through my head for a brief moment but I pushed it away. Just because Cindy had the sudden urge to kiss me yesterday didn't mean she had actual feelings for me, whereas Betty did. I couldn't break up with Betty for a maybe-feeling or an almost-kiss.

Betty and I had some sort of bond forged from days spent under the hot Texan sun in our lifeguard uniforms. All I had from Cindy were many confusing memories from years ago and a rollercoaster of emotions that have been developing over the past few weeks, not all of them good.

I decided to go home and concentrate on something other than Betty and Cindy for awhile. Maybe I would be able to invent something for the first time in months.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

"What are you supposed to be again?" I asked Libby as I fixed my hair.

It had been a tense week following the confrontation I'd had with Betty in the locker room. Like a robot with some sort of malfunction, she acted like her normal self most of the time - pleasant, easy going, friendly. Once in awhile, I would catch her glaring at me out of the corner of my eye. For the most part I had been right about the all bark and no bite theory. Betty Quinlan was as frightening as a kitten.

And so I told myself not to worry about it too much. Next week, we would finally start planning and practicing the routines we would be doing for the cheer competition. Betty and I would essentially be in charge with Coach Kathy overseeing everything.

Jimmy had taken my words to heart and left me alone. There were no more witty jabs taken at each other during lunch or whispered conversations at our lab table in chemistry. I couldn't be angry at him for doing what I'd asked him to do, but I missed him. Only a week had gone by since our brief conversation after the chemistry exam but it felt like much longer. In order to keep up with my _forget Jimmy and go to Princeton_ plan, I picked up extra shifts at The Vibe and promised Mrs. Lawrence I would help plan and decorate for the upcoming holiday dance...even though it was only Halloween and the dance wasn't until December.

If Libby had noticed a difference between the odd friendship Jimmy and I had developed over the course of these past few months to now, with us not even speaking, she didn't say anything about it. She always asked if I was okay, and I always told her yes. I was still fielding calls from William, who was probably afraid I would rat him out to my mom. I had no interest in getting him in trouble, talking to him, or listening to his apologies.

After some deliberation and with Libby's approval, I decided on dressing up as Daenerys Targaryen for Bryan's party. I wasn't sure if it was unique enough to win the costume contest, but all I had to do was throw on a simple dress that looked a little medieval and braid my hair. Since I'd only had a week to plan and buy a costume, I called it good.

"I'm going to be Cleopatra," Libby said as she concentrated on her eyeliner. Every Halloween, her costume would change a hundred times before the actual day, when she settled on one idea. There's no doubt that she had just decided on her costume this morning. I definitely wasn't surprised she had chosen Cleopatra. It fit her so well.

"Is Sheen going to be a mummy?"

"That's the idea. What do you want to bet me that he shows up as UltraLord instead?"

"I'll pay you to slap him for it."

We laughed and for a moment, things almost felt normal. Then I remembered that Jimmy wouldn't even be going to this party and felt a little sad again.

We finished getting ready and went outside when Sheen and Carl got there. Carl wasn't even wearing a costume and Sheen was - surprise, surprise - dressed as UltraLord.

"Sheen, I'm going to slap you so hard that your future children will feel it!"

I laughed as Sheen cowered under the heat of Libby's glare. Carl turned to us as Libby and I settled in the backseat and the car lurched forward under Sheen's lead foot. "Did you guys realize that this party is almost twenty minutes away?" He sounded a little worried.

"Good thing we have a designated driver then," I replied. Sheen groaned.

"I hate you guys for making me DD," he complained. "Except for you, Libby-cakes. You've done nothing wrong." She rolled her eyes towards me but I noticed she was smiling contentedly.

"Maybe we should make a plan," Carl continued.

"You're starting to sound like Jimmy!" Sheen exclaimed.

"He has good ideas!"

"Okay, okay," Libby waved her hands around to put off the inevitable argument, "Here's a plan: we go to the party and have fun. We leave when we stop having fun. Sheen is our DD. The end."

"What if we get split up like last time? What if Cindy ends the night with her head in the toilet again?" Sheen spoke up.

I kicked the back of his seat and he yelped.

"I'm just going to text Jimmy," Carl said. "He can make a plan for us."

"Aw, don't bug him, Carl. He's with his lady love!"

"You're right."

These two really were the biggest idiots on the planet. Libby pulled out her phone and said, "How about I start a group text and we can text each other throughout the night if we split up, and that way it'll be easier for us to meet up later?"

Carl seemed to like that idea. My phone buzzed as I received the first text in the group from Libby. The car was quiet for a few minutes when I felt my phone buzz again. It was Sheen. _Guys, I'm bored_ it said.

"Sheen, no texting and driving!"

"Yes ma'am."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

I left my house to go to Betty's party around the same time I saw Cindy getting into her car with a large duffel bag in tow. She didn't even glance my way as she pulled out of her driveway and sped down our street. I already knew she was going to Bryan's party because of Sheen and Carl, but I hadn't spoken a word to Cindy since our conversation last week when she told me to leave her alone. It was really hard to pretend like I wasn't dying to say something to her when I had to be around her every day school. Not to mention, when we weren't at school, there was only a street dividing our houses.

I was extremely nervous to attend a party at Betty's house, which meant I had to interact with her parents and other people I didn't know but would most likely need to impress. Even though it was obviously a Halloween party, Betty told me I didn't have to dress up if I didn't want to. I took those words and ran with them - but I made sure to dress nicer than what I wore every day.

The circle driveway at Betty's house was already filling up with cars when I arrived and I was relieved to see that she was already running to meet me as I was getting out of my car.

"I'm so happy you're here," she said with a huge smile on her face. She grabbed my hand and tugged me towards her house.

The only other time I'd been at Betty's was her party but everything looked different now. Even with touches of fake spiderwebs, thoughtfully placed skulls, and bowls of candy and snacks set out throughout the house, every room seemed brighter and cleaner than when I was here just weeks ago.

Betty continued to hold my hand as we walked up to a couple standing in the living room that I recognized as her parents. I suddenly started feeling extra nervous and hoped nobody could tell.

They both smiled at me as we stopped right in front of them and I could tell that Betty was a spitting image of her mom with the dark hair and warm smile.

"So this is the Jimmy Neutron I've been hearing so much about," Betty's father said in a deep voice, reaching out to shake my hand. "I also hear you're a genius."

Betty giggled and I tried to relax a little. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

A few hours later, I checked my phone as Betty busied herself with getting us drinks and realized I had a few texts. I realized quickly that it was a group text with that included Sheen, Carl, Libby, and Cindy. One text said _Testing 123_ from Libby and there was another one that said _Guys, I'm bored_ from Sheen. I had a feeling they didn't know that I was in the group and that I had been added in by accident. I didn't have too much time to ponder that, because Betty was suddenly handing me a cup of mysteriously green colored punch. I shoved my phone back in my pocket.

Although there were so many things to do at Betty's party - including an actual corn maze, haunted house, and hot chocolate bar - it was hard for me to ignore the near-constant buzzing of my phone in my pocket. I didn't want to be rude to Betty by checking my phone every five minutes but didn't want to miss out on what the gang was saying, either.

After we emerged from the haunted house, which was only subpar considering I'd only jumped once, I took off to the bathroom so I could read all the texts I'd received.

Most of them were from Sheen; asking where everyone was, if it was time to leave yet, and that the party was lame. I felt a slight form of satisfaction reading that, but I knew it was only because Sheen wasn't drinking and was probably bored.

I kept scrolling through the messages, noticing that Libby was often the one who replied, with Carl chiming in once in awhile. Radio silence from Cindy but I expected that from her. I just hoped that she wasn't throwing up in a random bathroom somewhere.

I was about to shut my screen off and go back downstairs when my phone vibrated again, signaling another text. This one _was_ from Cindy this time - _Hey, I'm upstairs with Bryan. If you don't hear from me in 15 minutes then I NEED HELP._ This was followed by an obscene amount of exclamation points.

I rolled my eyes and roughly shoved my phone in my pocket. I was considering turning on the "do not disturb" function now. I didn't want to hear or think about Cindy spending any alone time with Bryan. Her text was mildly alarming, though. Why did she think she would need help?

I couldn't worry about it anymore. She'd made it clear that anything she did wasn't my concern anyway. I trusted Libby, Carl, and sometimes Sheen. If anything bad happened, they would be there to help her out.

At this point I knew I was trying to rationalize the uneasy feeling that had settled into my stomach, but it wasn't working at all. A quick glance at my watch told me it was nearly eleven pm now. There was a significantly less amount of people at Betty's party now than there had been when we arrived, so maybe the party was ending soon.

If I had any luck at all, Betty would be up for a little road trip later on.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

There were so many cars parked in front of Bryan's house that we were forced to go around the block and park at the end of his street. I felt a little nervous as we walked down the sidewalk towards the party, which I could hear even from so far down the street.

"Let's try not to split up," Carl said with clear uneasiness in his voice.

"Everything will be okay, Carl. Just try to have fun!" Libby said as we walked up porch steps and towards the front door.

Noise, music, and the smell of smoke hit us immediately after I opened the front door. There were so many people we had to squeeze our way through the living room and towards the kitchen where I assumed the drinks would be. Luckily, there were less people milling about there.

Libby took it upon herself to pour all of us - except Sheen - a cup of punch that was sitting in a huge bowl on the kitchen counter. I spotted Bryan, who was taller than mostly everyone else, talking to some people in the next room.

I took the cup from Libby and said, "I'm going to go talk to Bryan." She just gave me a mischievous look and nudged me in his direction.

It took some skill to keep from spilling my drink everywhere but I managed to keep my cup mostly full trying to wade through the crowd.

Bryan spotted me quickly and grinned. "Hey blondie, you made it!"

"Don't get too excited. I'm only here to win the costume contest so I can rub it in everyone's faces."

He laughed loudly. "That _is_ a nice costume you have on."

I almost blushed.

He put his hand on my elbow, stepping closer to me. "Let's go outside. It's a lot less crowded." He led me towards some sliding glass doors and I was sort of surprised to see that people willingly moved out of his way and he had no problem fighting the crowd - but it _was_ his house.

The cool air felt good compared to the stuffy atmosphere we had just emerged from. There was a small group of people standing around and talking in the backyard and Bryan led me to them, introducing me to everyone. There was a thick smoke cloud hovering around us even though we were outside and it was a little uncomfortable. Bryan joked around with the group for a few long minutes and I suddenly wished I hadn't walked up to Bryan in the first place.

"It's kind of cold out here, do you think we could go inside now?" I asked Bryan, and he smiled at me slyly. One of his friends that was standing next to us nudged him in the arm and grinned at him.

Truthfully, I wasn't cold at all - the alcohol was doing a pretty good job at keeping me warm so far. The amount of smoke that was surrounding me and the fact that I had no idea where Libby, Sheen, or Carl was made me uneasy. I just wanted to leave.

Bryan took me by the hand and we went inside. I immediately scanned the room for a familiar face but it was so crowded and I was far too short to see everyone. Bryan kept tugging on my hand and I felt as if I had no choice but to follow him.

Dread and slight fear crowded my stomach as he led me up the stairs and down the hall to what I assumed to be his bedroom. I felt as if I had consumed cement instead of punch earlier, making me feel ten times heavier than normal. When I'd said I wanted to go inside earlier, this isn't what I had meant.

I tried to keep myself calm as Bryan smiled at me sheepishly, apologizing to me about his messy room. He was a nice guy, I told myself. He seems to like me and maybe I could like him, too...if I tried hard enough. It was a little presumptuous of him to take me to his bedroom but maybe he'd misinterpreted my words. Had I been leading him on unknowingly.

While Bryan seemed preoccupied with shoving his dirty clothes into an already overflowing hamper, I downed the rest of my punch and decided to send a quick text to the group. _Hey, I'm upstairs with Bryan. If you don't hear from me in 15 minutes then I NEED HELP,_ I typed out, making sure to add a lot of exclamation points for emphasis. I sent the text without much thought. It probably wouldn't make much sense to anyone but it was better than nothing.

I shoved my phone into my pocket as Bryan turned back to me, holding a half-empty bottle of alcohol in his hands.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After a few shots of what tasted like rum and a little coaxing from Bryan, I felt comfortable enough to venture into his room a little more, deciding to sit on his bed to avoid looking awkward. As soon as I sat down and he started kissing me, I realized that had been a mistake.

Bryan was a good kisser. Obviously experienced and not too eager, he ran his hands up my arms towards my back, pushing me closer to him. I kissed him back, hoping that this would be a good enough Jimmy-distraction for me.

It wasn't, though. All I could think about was stupid Jimmy Neutron kissing me and his stupid blue eyes. I was also pretty sure it had been more than fifteen minutes since I'd texted the group. I briefly wondered where my phone was.

I opened my eyes in surprise when Bryan suddenly pushed me towards the bed so I would be laying down with him on top of me. I quickly shoved him away and stood up.

"Are you okay?" He asked me, obviously seeing my look of distress.

"I'm...fine. I just don't really feel comfortable going any further," I said uncomfortably. Bryan reached out and took my hand.

"I understand. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." I was relieved to hear that.

Bryan jumped suddenly and reached into the bed sheets. He had my phone in his hand a second later. "You've got some people blowing you up," he commented. Instead of handing my phone to me, he kept reading the lit-up screen. "Libby, Carl, Jimmy…" he trailed off.

I snatched the phone from his hand and hastily unlocked it.

"Is Jimmy that genius friend of yours? Why isn't he here?"

It was an odd question considering I knew Jimmy hated Bryan, and Bryan probably felt indifference towards Jimmy. "He's at some party Betty's family was having at her house," I replied, more occupied with reading the texts than to pay attention to him.

Libby had texted the group saying _CINDY WHERE ARE YOU?_ And there were a few unimportant texts from Carl and Sheen. The most recent was from Jimmy. It could've been the alcohol talking, but I was slightly confused - either Jimmy had been in our group text the entire time or someone had randomly decided to add him in. His text said _I'll be there soon._

Since several minutes had passed since her text was sent, I messages Libby right away to tell her I was fine. I avoided the group text completely. I didn't want to see Jimmy at all, I wasn't drunk enough for that.

I looked up at Bryan, who was still sitting on his bed. He was holding the open rum bottle and had a faraway look in his eyes. I grabbed the bottle from him and he didn't even move. I was pouring some into my cup when he spoke.

"I was at that party last year, you know."

"What are you talking about?"

I was starting to feel warmer and maybe a little hazy now, just bordering on giggly. It was probably a good idea for me to stop so I wasn't puking my guts up again.

"Betty's party. She took me to that party. We had a great time," Bryan's voice was flat. I paused, realizing that I'd told him Jimmy was at Betty's party. I set the bottle down on his cluttered desk, next to a picture frame that was sitting near the edge. I had to do a double take - it was a picture of Betty and Bryan together and they looked pretty happy.

The feeling of dread was back. I didn't know how long ago Bryan and Betty broke up, but it was a little weird for him to have a framed picture of her in his room regardless. It was clear that Bryan wasn't over Betty. I needed to get out of this bedroom and preferably out of the house, too.

I downed the rest of my drink and deposited the cup on his desk. "I should get going," I said, heading for the door.

Bryan stood up quickly, seemingly breaking out of his trance. "What's the rush?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you talk about Betty Quinlan. I hear enough about her already from literally everyone else."

"Does she ever talk about me?" He was standing so close to me I could see that he was clearly not in the right state of mind. His eyes were red and so were his cheeks and he looked angry.

"You gotta get over her, dude. That's kind of pathetic."

I made it completely out of his room before he stopped me again, standing in front of me. His hand was gripping my arm just a little too tightly and I tried not to wince. He was taller and much heavier than I was. I wasn't sure if I could take him down if I felt the need to.

"I invited you and your loser friends to my party and give you free alcohol and this is the treatment I get in return?"

"Hey, don't call my friends _losers!_ " I exclaimed, instantly riled up at his comment. "Only I'm allowed to call them that. And you can take your party invites and free booze and shove them up your ass for all I care."

I tried to retrieve my arm from his grasp but he was refusing to let go. I was contemplating the pros and cons of kneeing him in the balls when I heard a familiar voice.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Bryan turned around and I craned my head to see past him. It was Jimmy, and he didn't look happy. "Fuck off, nerd."

Before anyone could say anything else, I acted on my idea from earlier, bringing my knee straight up to his groin. He crumpled to the ground immediately. Jimmy just looked at me with surprise and I stepped over Bryan easily.

"Let's get out of here before he kills us."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

As I watched Betty wave goodbye to yet another group of partygoers, I knew it was time for me to speak up, but I still didn't know what to say without sounding rude.

She put her hand inside the crook of my elbow and led me a little farther away from the party. "I had a lot of fun tonight," she said quietly. "I hope you did, too. And I hope meeting my parents wasn't too much for you."

"No, they're super nice! I had a great time," I assured her and she smiled at me happily.

"It's getting late," I started and she nodded.

"Everyone else will probably be leaving soon. If you want to go home I understand," she replied.

"Actually I might stop by a party that the guys are at before I head home. Would you be interested in coming along?" She just looked me at curiously.

"I wish I could, but my parents probably need help cleaning up."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help?"

"Oh no, they wouldn't accept help from you! You're a guest," she winked at me and walked me out to my car. I should've known she wouldn't be angry at me for going to a party - without her, no less. I think my Cindy Vortex reflex was transferring over to every girl I talked to. I kept expecting Betty to lash out over something small or call me Nerdtron but it never came and most likely, never would.

Hidden by a cloak of darkness, she leaned into me and I bent down to pull her into a kiss that lasted for a few minutes and involved a lot of tongue. Ever since she surprised me by coming over last week, things had been moving pretty quickly between us physically.

The noise of another group of people leaving broke us apart and she went inside, promising to text me later, and I left.

I was able to spot Sheen's car parked on the street, nearly a block away from the address I had to track down from the "find my friends" app I had on my phone. I parked my car and walked towards Bryan's with a sort of false bravado - I didn't want to walk into that party and possibly run into the person who used to date my girlfriend. I was more worried about Cindy than I was worried about a confrontation with Bryan so I tried not to think about it too much.

I ran into Libby almost immediately when I entered the house. She seemed to be alone and her eyes widened when she saw me. "Jimmy! What are you doing here?"

"I told you guys I was coming," I gestured towards the phone that was in her hand. Looking confused, she checked her messages.

"I guess I added you to the group without thinking. Sorry," she said sheepishly. Then she hiccuped. "I think I drank way too much. We need to get out of here."

"Where's everyone else?"

She shrugged. "I've been looking for Cindy for awhile now but she's with Bryan. I'm almost afraid to walk in on what she's doing," she said with a laugh. I didn't even try to suppress the eye roll at that.

"Well I'm going to go find her. Do me a favor and find Carl and Sheen so we can leave, okay?" She nodded and saluted me.

"Aye aye captain!"

Since Cindy's text said she would be upstairs I decided to check up there first. There had been a lot of people downstairs but it was darker and quieter up on the second floor. It seemed like I wasn't going to have to search for very long, because I could already hear Cindy's voice.

"-and shove them up your ass for all I care."

At the end of the hallway, I could see Bryan but he wasn't facing me. He had something in his grip that I could only assume was Cindy's arm but I couldn't even see her past Bryan's tall figure. That combined with the tinge of fear I'd heard in her voice set me on red alert and I felt a burst of anger inside me.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked without thinking. Bryan was probably going to punch my lights out, but I didn't care.

Suddenly, he was laying on the ground after an impressive knee to the groin courtesy of Cindy. It was uncomfortable for me to even witness but my theory had been proven: Cindy had no problem protecting herself.

We hightailed it down the stairs and towards the front door where Libby, Sheen, and Carl were waiting. They didn't even ask why we were in such a hurry and instead just followed us out into the cool October night.

"That party was so lame! No one there even knew what my costume was," Sheen whined as we made our way down the sidewalk.

"What happened up there?" Libby asked Cindy, ignoring Sheen's comment completely.

"Nothing," Cindy said quickly and everyone was quiet until we got to the car, save for Libby's hiccups every few seconds.

Sheen got in the car immediately while saying something about never being DD again, with Libby trying to shush him as she got in the passenger seat. Carl paused with his hand on the door, "Hey Jim, why did you decide to come to the party?"

I glanced at Cindy who was looking at her shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. I shrugged. "No reason, really. Betty's party got over kind of early."

He seemed to accept that answer and got in the car too. I could see that Sheen was still ranting by the way he was moving his arms around. Cindy sighed. "I don't know if I can resist killing him on the way home."

"I can take you home."

She looked at me and didn't say anything but I knew it was a tempting offer to her. She tolerated Sheen most days but when already angry, she couldn't deal with him. "All my stuff and my car is at Libby's," she said and I shrugged. She took another look at Sheen's car and started walking towards mine. "I can just get it tomorrow." I waved to Sheen's car and he honked before taking off into the night.

Cindy sat tensely in her seat next to me and I had a feeling this was going to be a more awkward car ride than I wanted it to be. On the ride over I planned an entire conversation in my head between us, even going as far as to predict the things she would say to me. But all of my ideas and practiced phrases had disappeared from my brain and I had no clue what to say.

"Are you okay?" I asked, remembering the position she'd been in when I found her upstairs - angry and trying to get away from Bryan. Even though I knew they were obviously fighting about something, I had no idea what had happened between them. No matter what had taken place, I knew Bryan had no right to be acting so aggressively. I hoped that I didn't run into him any time soon. I didn't think I would be able to stop myself from doing something I'd regret.

She just nodded. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because you're being really quiet and that's kind of unlike you."

She crossed her arms. "Drop it, Neutron. Just drive."

"You can be mad at me all you want but something bad obviously happened up there between you and Bryan. I _knew_ I had a bad feeling about him for a reason."

Cindy huffed and turned slightly to face me better, her bright eyes narrowed at me. "You're such a know-it-all!"

"You're only mad because you know I was right!" I could hear my voice getting louder with every word. I wanted to kick myself because I shouldn't yell at her while she's slightly drunk and already angry at me.

"Alright fine, I'll cave this time. You were right. Bryan is just an asshole that's not completely over Betty and he was just using me. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

I sat there in stunned silence until a car that was behind us honked their horn. The light we were at had already turned green. I glanced at Cindy as I stepped on the gas but she was looking out the window and I could only see the side of her face.

"What do you mean he's not over Betty?" I asked.

"He still has a picture of her in his room. And let's just say he didn't seem very happy when he found out that you were at her party this year," she said quietly.

I stopped in front of Cindy's house and she made quick work of her seatbelt and reached for the door handle. She seemed to be in a hurry to get away from me. It was then that I realized I hadn't even talked to her about anything I had planned in my head earlier. Funny how that always happens when I'm around her.

"Wait!" She stopped but didn't look at me. "Did he hurt you?"

She looked at me fully then, her face a carefully constructed blank slate.

"I told you I'm fine."

"That doesn't answer my question, Cindy."

"Thanks for the ride, Neutron, but I gotta go."

"Why do you always do this?"

"Do what?" She asked while glaring at me.

"Instead of finishing the conversation you just leave," I said, frustrated. She gave me an odd look. "There's a lot of things I want to say to you and I'm sure you have some things to say, too. Why can't we just talk?"

She nodded. "You're right, I'll go first." I rolled my eyes but she ignored it. "Why did you tell Betty that I bring out the worst in people?"

The question threw me for a loop and left me stumbling for an answer. "I...uh, I didn't say that," I said lamely. She raised a brow at me.

"You didn't, huh? So you're telling me that innocent, sweet Betty Quinlan not only lied to my face but put words in your mouth, essentially throwing you under the bus and disregarding our friendship?"

That was a lot of words for someone who smelled like rum and peach schnapps. I searched my brain to find a memory of when I said something like that. Cindy was right - Betty wouldn't make that up.

Then I remembered: the party, beer pong, Betty smiling at me and those damn words coming out of my mouth so easily. _She truly does bring out the worst in me_.

"Okay, so I didn't say those words exactly," I replied defensively. "I told her you bring out the worst in _me_ not everyone."

Cindy's face fell. I realized my error almost immediately and tried to backtrack.

"Cindy that's not what I meant! I was kind of drunk at the time-" she cut me off before I could finish. Her face was deadly serious.

"If you ever wonder again why I never finish a conversation or why I told you to leave me alone, this is why." She opened the door and started to get out. "Oh and before I go: I love you, if you couldn't tell. Like, a lot. I love your stupid brain and how smart you are and how you're always there to help me even when I don't want you to. I love that you can make me laugh even if I've having the most awful day ever. I love that you don't think I'm stupid for being a cheerleader. You understand me. I hear that's sort of hard to do." She took a deep breath before she continued. "I love you even if you think I bring out the worst in you, and I don't expect you to say anything back because I know you're happy with Betty. You deserve to be happy."

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing would come out, and she was gone before I could even catch my breath.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **So, how do you guys feel about Betty, Bryan, and THAT LOVE CONFESSION? ;) Cindy + alcohol always makes for a good time.**

 **I wanna stress the fact that I'm still not intending Betty to be evil - because she's not. But she's showing a different side to her now...I like to think that she's a pretty complicated character. Refer to chapter 4 to read the "she brings out the worst in me" moment...seemed insignificant at the time, eh?**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everyone!**

 **Next chapter: planning for the competition begins, Cindy goes on a search for her real dad, Jimmy seeks advice from...Sheen and Carl.**


	12. love galore

**Hellooo everyone! Happy new year!**

 **I appreciate the lovely reviews on the last chapter! You guys truly are the best. :)**

 **Lately, I feel like I've lost some of my writing mojo - a feeling that I'm all too familiar with. In the past I would just wallow in that feeling and let my stories go un-updated for weeks or months, but I'm doing my best to work through it this time instead.**

 **Then on Saturday morning I was suddenly up at 4am which a million thoughts in my head about this story and I wrote nearly this entire chapter in one sitting. I would've finished and posted it too but I had to stop to go to work. Funny how the muse works sometimes.**

 **These next few chapters might be kind of (for the lack of a better word) boring? Let's just say I have some BIG things happening soon, and I gotta build up to it first!**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **Dangerous**

I wanted to dig a hole as deep as I could and bury myself in it so hopefully everyone, including Jimmy Neutron, would forget that I ever existed.

I couldn't believe I'd let myself just spill my guts to him like that without a second thought. Sure, I felt pretty tipsy but I wasn't wasted. I would definitely remember this tomorrow and so would he. I'd taken the "forget Jimmy" plan I carefully constructed and set it aflame.

I failed to notice the kitchen light that was on until I walked through the doorway on my way to my room. My mother was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. It was clear that she had just woken up and looked very unhappy.

"You better talk fast, Cynthia, because I don't care to listen to a long explanation," she warned, and I knew I was in deep shit. I hadn't told her I was going anywhere but to Libby's house for a sleepover, and she could probably smell alcohol on me even from across the room.

Frustrated, upset, and panicked - I burst into tears.

Crying was never really considered to be one of my first reactions even when I was younger. I didn't cry when my mother informed me that her and William were getting a divorce. I didn't shed a tear when I lost my first and only karate competition - I broke another boy's nose instead. I never cried all those times I came in second place to Jimmy. I was usually pretty proud of myself for keeping those emotions, if I felt them, on the inside rather than the outside.

However, over the course of these past several weeks, I'd felt the urge to cry more than I could count. Deep down I knew that it would happen eventually.

My mom's expression of anger melted into one of confusion mixed with surprise. She looked unsure of herself. Why couldn't this particular mental breakdown happen in front of Libby or Humphrey instead of my mother? I was guaranteed to listen to some sort of lecture after this.

To my surprise, she gave me a hug. Somehow this made me cry even harder, and I held onto her pathetically. She patted my hair and shushed me.

"Oh, Cindy. What happened?"

"I made a mistake," I said and she froze.

"What kind of mistake?" She asked quickly. "Do I need to call a lawyer? A doctor? Both?"

Even with tears still threatening to fall from my eyes I managed to roll them. "Oh my God, mom. That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I fell in love and it really sucks," I whined. She chuckled.

"I won't argue with that sentiment. Who's the lucky boy?" She asked.

I just shook my head. "It doesn't matter. He doesn't love me."

She pulled away to look at me, gripping my shoulders. "He must be an idiot, then. He doesn't deserve you."

I wanted to tell her that it was just the opposite - _mom, he's a genius. And I'm the one who doesn't deserve him_. I couldn't tell her those things without her finding out that I was talking about Jimmy. I didn't need anyone else to know - it was bad enough I'd spilled the beans to the genius himself.

I nodded, but it was only because I didn't know what to say. It was probably one of the nicest things she'd said to me in quite some time, even if I knew it wasn't true.

"If there's anything I can tell you about love," she continued quietly, "It's that it usually involves lot of compromise and sacrificing in order for things to work out - and then sometimes it ends up not working out anyway, no matter how hard you try. You cannot force anyone to love you."

"Is that what happened between you and dad?"

She didn't answer the question and just pushed a lock of my hair off my face.

"Go upstairs and sleep it off. You'll feel better tomorrow after the hangover wears off," she said, pushing me towards the stairs. I was halfway up them when she called up to me. "Don't think you're completely off the hook, young lady."

Shit.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

Halloween was over. As the morning after Betty's party came, I could hear my mom downstairs moving things around - probably redecorating for the next holiday. She always got a jumpstart on those things.

I'd watched the sun rise through my window while also watching for any signs of life at Cindy's house. I'd spent the entire night after dropping her off wide awake, replaying her words in my head over and over again. They didn't feel real. I'd also spent a good amount of time staring at my phone; I'd pulled up Cindy's name in an attempt to text her, but I was lacking the right words. What would I even say - that I was sorry? What was I even sorry for?

A few times I'd pondered going down to the lab but I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything. I wanted to talk to Cindy even though I had no idea what to say. I wanted to rewind to last night and stop her from getting out of my car.

She told me she _loved_ me. Like a recording I couldn't shut off, those words wouldn't stop repeating themselves. I had a feeling that I would be able to remember her words, along with the quiet, matter-of-fact tone she used to say them for the rest of my life. She'd said a lot of other things too - like how I was happy with Betty and I deserve to be happy. But I didn't want to think about those words because they sounded like too much of closing statement. They sounded like she was saying goodbye.

I was exhausted but I needed to do something to stay busy. Maybe I needed to talk to someone about this. I usually never seeked another perspective or wanted any other opinion when it came to most things but this was a special occasion. For a moment I considered talking to my parents, but I had a strong feeling they would tell me to _do what makes me happy_. If I knew how I felt, I probably wouldn't be in this mess.

Not only that, but they might be confused as to why Cindy was telling me she loved me while I was dating Betty.

No, I needed advice from someone who would know more about the situation. Someone who wouldn't be afraid to be honest.

I could think of two people that fit those categories.

It was still early, but I texted Sheen and Carl anyway and asked them to come over later today.

I just hoped I wouldn't regret it.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

After a frantic phone call from Libby where I promised her I was alive and well and an uncomfortable conversation with my mother soon after waking, I found myself grounded for an entire week. I'd been expecting it, but I was a little annoyed with the fact that I wouldn't be going anywhere but school, work, and practice for the next seven days.

Maybe it was for the best. If I didn't go outside, then I would never run into Jimmy. Avoiding him at school was easy if I tried hard enough.

I was sitting on the couch when my mother walked past me, looking as if she were ready to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I have a meeting tonight with some old classmates. We're planning our next class reunion."

"Sounds fun," I deadpanned.

"Remember, you're not going to leave this house while I'm gone," she pointed at me sternly and left. I rolled my eyes.

"I do work tonight, remember?" She returned my eye roll and left, the house quiet.

I went upstairs to shower. The bathroom in our house was connected to my bedroom and my mother's with a door in each room. She usually kept her door shut while I had a bad habit of leaving mine open. However, today she'd forgotten to shut hers.

In the process of shutting the door I noticed the mess on her floor - papers, notebooks. Too nosy to leave it alone - I started going through it. It looked like a bunch of her old school work and class photos. She was probably just preparing for her class reunion.

Most of it was boring, but as I was flipping through the yearbook from her senior year, a picture caught my eye: my mother as a teenager posing with a boy at prom. The caption under the picture named him _Matthew Kelley._

It was a long shot but I had a strong feeling that this Matthew person might _at least_ know who my real dad is or could give me a clue. Picking up my phone, I dialed William's number. Since he claimed to not know who my real dad was, he could at least help me find out who it was. I had around twenty missed calls from him from the past week or so. He answered on the second ring, just as I expected him to.

"I'm asking you for one more favor," I said in lieu of a greeting. "And then we never have to speak to each other again."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

"Dude, stop killing me!" Sheen whined, pressing so hard on the controller I thought he might break it.

"It's not my fault you suck at this game," Carl replied.

Sheen and Carl had been at my house for most of the day and in those few hours, we'd consumed a lot of snacks and played so many games that I thought my eyes were going to be permanently dry. I was avoiding my phone because I knew Betty would probably want to come over at some point. I kept stealing glances towards Cindy's house from my window but it looked the same every single time - quiet and devoid of any life.

"Is something wrong, Jim?" Carl asked and I turned to look at him. I hadn't even realized they weren't playing their game anymore and they were both looking at me with a sort of worry I didn't usually see on their faces.

Sheen tossed his controller onto my bed. "Y'know, if I had a choice, I would be mackin' on my Libbycakes today but she's spending time with her parents or something equally as lame." Carl shook his head. "Is there a reason you aren't with Queen Bee today?"

I just shrugged. "I just figured we haven't hung out in awhile…"

"Jimmy's right, Sheen. Just because _you_ want to ditch us for your girlfriend doesn't mean he does," Carl said.

Sheen was still looking at me suspiciously and although I'd called them over to get another perspective, I was almost too nervous to do that now. Neither of them were fond of Cindy, after all.

"Alright, but enough of this child's play," Sheen gestured toward the TV and Carl scoffed. We both knew that he only wanted to quit because he was losing. "Let's get down to your lab so you can show us your newest, coolest stuff." He rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"We can go down there but there's nothing new for me to show you," I admitted slowly and they both looked at me as if I had grown two heads.

"No new inventions? Are you feeling okay?" Sheen moved a hand towards my forehead as if to check for a fever and I slapped it away.

"I don't think we've been in your lab since the summer, now that I think about it. Have you ever gone so long without making something new?" Carl asked.

"Maybe he lost his genius abilities," Sheen muttered to Carl and I punched him in the arm.

"Hey, it's not so easy creating interesting, useful stuff all the time. Stuff that actually _works_ , too. So what? I was taking some time off," I said defensively, ignoring Sheen's complaints about me punching him too hard.

"It's a little early for retirement, buddy. You're not even eighteen yet."

I threw my hands up in the air in defeat. "I think it might be Betty," I admitted.

Carl's eyes were wide. "Why do you think that?"

"Is she sucking your brain power out when we're not looking?" Sheen whispered.

"No, Sheen, nothing like that. I just mean that I haven't felt inspired or inclined to make anything ever since I started becoming close to Betty. I'm not saying it's her fault. It's probably just a coincidence."

"Are you trying to convince us or yourself?" Carl asked and the three of us were quiet for a few moments.

"I like Betty - she's sweet and caring," I started, intending to go into a long spiel that would list all the reasons as to why Betty was the right girl for me, but Sheen stopped me.

"Well sure, but so is your mom and Libby. And Carl's mom. And most women we know," Sheen shrugged. "Are you in love with her?"

I felt like I was in the twilight zone. My first mistake had been telling them I hadn't invented anything in months. I could've made up a story and they wouldn't have known the difference. My next mistake had been blaming Betty for it. I knew what my third mistake would be.

"I don't know, okay?! I don't know if I love her or not," I said louder than what was necessary. "But last night Cindy told me she loved me."

Sheen had been using his legs on my bed to push his chair back on two legs and he fell over backward after hearing that.

"She told you she _loved_ you?" Carl asked in disbelief.

Sheen stood up and pointed at me. "I just want to repeat that this is not fair! Not only did you get these two girls to kiss you in the same night, now they're both in love with you?!"

"Betty might not love me."

He rolled his eyes and looked towards Carl. "He really isn't a genius anymore."

I reached out to punch him again but he dodged it. "I don't know what to do," I said, frustrated.

"The solution to this little problem is simple, Jim. Which one do you think is hotter?"

"Shut up, Sheen," Carl and I said in unison.

"Maybe you should just take some time to think about it. We know you have feelings for Betty. Do you also have feelings for Cindy?"

I pretended to think about it for a moment but I already knew the answer.

"Yeah...I do."

"Which one do you like better?" Sheen asked as he sat down in the chair again.

"It's not that easy," I exclaimed. "I'm already dating Betty and have been for awhile. I could go on and on about all the things about Betty that I like and even if I'm not in love with her now, I could...see myself falling in love with her in the future."

"And Cindy?"

I heard a loud dog bark and I glanced out the window. Cindy was on her porch, shutting her front door behind her. Humphrey must be barking at her from inside since she was leaving. I watched as she got in her car and left.

"Cindy is Cindy. She insults me and yells at me most of the time. We don't always get along," I said.

"Yeah, but that's just how the two of you work," Sheen argued.

"Why are you defending her? I thought you hated Cindy."

Sheen shook his head. "Sure, she's scary and could beat my ass at any given moment of the day but I don't hate her." Carl nodded his head in silent agreement.

"The question I have is if you have feelings for Cindy like you say - shouldn't you be the one 'defending' her? I know it's sort of your thing to insult her but...she told you she loved you," Carl said.

I supposed I hadn't realized that throughout this conversation I'd spent most of my time praising Betty and doing pretty much the opposite to Cindy.

"Maybe we should make a pros and cons list!" Carl suggested and Sheen laughed.

"I think our problem is that we are thinking too much about it!"

"What do you propose that I do?" I asked Sheen, tired of this entire situation.

"Just think about which one makes you happiest."

"Are you suggesting that I break up with Betty and get with Cindy, and then compare how I feel in both relationships? Because that's an experiment that would most definitely get me killed," I retorted.

"That would be funny, but no. All you gotta do is think about all the times you've been around Betty and the times you've been around Cindy and figure out in which situation you were the happiest," Sheen replied seriously.

He actually had a point. I just nodded, hoping we could shelve the conversation for awhile until I figured something out.

"And if that doesn't work, you could always choose the one who kisses better."

" _Sheen!_ "

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

As fucked up as this entire situation was, I was happy to spot Cindy - more like I caught a glimpse of her blonde ponytail - talking to Libby at her locker as I was on the way to mine Monday morning. Things felt normal, at least for a moment.

They continued to feel normal as Betty took her usual seat next to me in English class and Libby and Cindy walked in a few seconds later. As Cindy walked by me, we made brief eye contact. She looked away quickly and she spent the rest of the day avoiding me, just as I expected. She was unsurprisingly absent during lunch.

She couldn't just skip chemistry, though, and her presence felt heavy and distracting sitting right next to me. _That's the girl that loves me_.

I nudged her leg with my foot and when she looked at me, I whispered, "Can we talk after school?"

"I have practice," she whispered back shortly, returning her gaze to her notebook. I nudged her foot again and this time she glared at me.

"After that?"

"I'm grounded...so no."

She looked down and I knew that this conversation was a sinking ship but I desperately wanted to talk to her without any interruptions.

"Maybe I can come over? Or I'll call you?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jimmy."

She was probably right but I didn't really care. I had recently decided - as in, just now - to go with my gut feelings when it came to Betty and Cindy. My gut was telling me to talk to Cindy but for now, that was going to have to wait.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

Come Monday, I needed an excuse to skip lunch so I could avoid Jimmy. He was already starting to give me the vibe that he was itching to say something to me and I couldn't deal with that.

I knocked rapidly on Mrs. Lawrence's door, hoping she hadn't left her room for lunch. She answered with a disgruntled look on her face. I pushed past her and walked into the room as she said dryly, "Funny that I can identify you just by your knock."

"Everyone has their signature thing," I replied.

"To what do I owe this visit today Miss Vortex?"

"Last time I was here you mentioned needing help planning the holiday dance. That's a little over a month away now, so I wanted to get a jumpstart with that."

"I would love your help. You're not the only one who has expressed their interest in planning so we should have no problem getting everything together," she said.

I was a little surprised to hear that. Most students would rather attend dances and events rather than help out with them and it was rare for faculty to find helpers this early on. "Really? Who?"

"Oh! You probably know them," Mrs. Lawrence's face lit up as she dug through a stack of papers on her desk, "Some of them are cheerleaders."

I suddenly had a bad feeling. "Betty Quinlan, Jamie Wilson…"

She kept talking about I stopped listening. It was funny that Betty was suddenly interested in planning a school dance when she had been content to _not_ help plan anything else all semester. She had also undoubtedly conned all her friends into signing up, too.

"Sounds great," I interrupted and Mrs. Lawrence looked up at me in alarm. I grabbed my backpack. "I have to go to lunch now but I'll talk to you about planning the dance soon."

I left her office and made a beeline for the teacher's lounge to steal some of their coffee. I was going to need caffeine to handle the rest of the day.

When I checked my phone between school and practice, there was a text from William containing an attachment all about Matthew Kelley, including his most recent address and phone number. I was excited to do a little digging tonight. I knew my mother would be busy planning her reunion and most likely wouldn't even know if I left for a little while. If anything, I could say I got called into work.

I wasn't sure if talking to Matthew would help me out in any way, but I wanted to try. I wanted to find my real dad and get to know him. I also desperately needed a distraction from Jimmy Neutron.

I changed into my practice clothes and left the locker room to meet the rest of the squad on the gym floor. I noticed that Betty was talking excitedly to a small group of girls that were listening attentively.

"-lots of great ideas for the competition. I think you'll guys like the moves I came up with! We will go over those today. I already have a list of song choices with me but honestly I have narrowed it down to a few of my favorites," she was saying.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the group. She looked surprised and wrenched her arm away from my grip, crossing her arms. "What do you think you're doing?" I hissed at her.

"I could ask you the same question."

"We're supposed to be coming up with ideas _together_. That doesn't mean you get to take over and pretend you're the only team captain," I said.

She just rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Cindy."

Betty was probably too afraid to lose her temper in front of everyone else, so of course her first defense would be to act calm and collected so I would look ridiculous. I had no problem in setting her straight.

"Lose the attitude, Quinzilla."

"Is there a problem, ladies?" Coach Kathy popped a bubble with her gum as she stepped up behind me, hands on her hips.

Betty pasted on a bright smile. "Everything's fine, Coach. Cindy and I were just discussing what we were going to do for the competition."

I didn't say anything when Kathy looked at me, but the unhappy expression on my face must have given Betty's lie away.

"If you two can't work together then I guess I'll have to choose one captain instead," Kathy drawled.

Betty's smile fell. "We just hit a snag in our planning. Right?" She looked at me, practically begging me with her eyes.

I shrugged. "Pretty big snag," I muttered.

"Whatever it is, you have until tomorrow to figure it out," Kathy warned. "Or you can both kiss your titles goodbye." She walked away.

"You really can't keep it together for two minutes?" Betty said heatedly, glaring at me.

"I'm not the one sneaking around and trying to get on the good side of everyone on the squad. Maybe next time you try to undermine me you'll remember that if I go down, you go down with me," I replied, and left her to join the rest of the girls that were now gathered around Kathy.

I could nearly feel her glare trying to burn holes in my back as I walked away but I was sick of her. I didn't know how much longer I would be able to work alongside her as team captain and planning the holiday dance while she was also dating Jimmy. I was probably going to snap at some point and it wasn't going to be pretty.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

It was nearly five thirty and I was debating on whether to call Cindy or just show up at her house when there was a knock on my door. I was sitting at my desk, rolling my phone around in my hands. "Come in," I yelled.

My mom popped her head in my door and her eyes were wide. She looked a little worried. "Honey, Betty is here to see you."

I jumped up from my chair, tossing my phone onto my desk, suddenly feeling a little guilty.

My mom disappeared and Betty walked in. The door shut behind her, which I thought was a little odd, but I stopped thinking about that when I realized that Betty was crying.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

She wiped at her eyes and sat down on my bed. "This is so embarrassing. I didn't mean to come here crying like this. I just wanted to talk to you," she said sadly.

I sat down next to her on the bed and grabbed her hand. "You're scaring me, Betty. Did something happen?"

She shook her head. "It's stupid, really. I'm just being ridiculous."

"I doubt that. Please tell me."

"Coach threatened to take away my team captain title," she said, sniffling.

"Why would she do that?"

Betty looked up toward the ceiling and took a deep breath. "It's Cindy. She's so disagreeable about everything. I just want everything for our competition to go smoothly but...well, you know how Cindy is."

I was thoroughly confused, and it must have showed on my face.

"Cindy is co-captain," Betty explained.

"Why didn't you mention that sooner? You told me you were captain," I replied.

"I am," she said shortly, grabbing her hand from mine. "For some reason Coach thought we needed two captains. We're supposed to be working together but it's not working out at all."

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you more," I said slowly. It was odd to see Betty crying and yet she seemed angry, too. It was a rarity for her to be anything but happy.

"Oh Jimmy, don't be sorry. I shouldn't snap at you. That girl brings out the worst in me," she said, distaste in every word.

I had a flashback to the conversation Cindy and I had just a few days ago in my car, right before she told me she loved me. At the time when I'd first said those words "she brings out the worst in me" I had been half-joking. Up until recently we'd always been like that with each other; arguing, competing, and generally annoying everyone around us with our verbal battles. I hadn't meant for Cindy or Betty to take those words and run with them but this just seemed to be another one of those damned mistakes I seemed to be making lately.

"Cindy can be...brash. It can be hard to get on her good side," I said. "But she's really not that bad. I'm sure you two can work something out."

Betty snorted derisively and I was once again taken aback by how different she was acting today. "I'm not sure if that's possible."

"She's my friend. You're my girlfriend. Would it be so bad if you tried to get along with her?" I asked seriously. Betty stood up and looked down at me.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but all I've been doing for the past two months is try to get along with her. She's the one that's been nothing but rude and immature towards me. If the two of you are so close, maybe you should have this talk with _her_ and not me."

She left the room and I could hear her car starting and driving away a few moments later. Seems like I'd just had my first fight with Betty, if it could even be called that. There hadn't been any yelling but I still felt uneasy about the whole thing. I knew she wasn't happy with me.

I didn't think it was possible, but I was more confused now than ever before.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Ah, Cindy's avoidance and denial techniques are A1.**

 **For those that are thinking - Jimmy's a genius! He loves Cindy! Why can't he just admit it?**

 **Well yeah, he's a genius, but that doesn't mean he understands women in particular or that he knows what to do all of the time. And if he knew what to do, there wouldn't be a story, would there? ;)**

 **So Jimmy may be frustrating you but I promise...the ending will be worth it. Or at least I think it will be. I hope you like that he (attempted) to defend Cindy against Betty. I might be overthinking things again...I tend to do that.**

 **Next chapter: Cindy goes on a manhunt and has another confrontation with Betty, Jimmy receives some better advice from someone else - can you guess who? And perhaps Bryan makes a reappearance...**

 **Please review!**


	13. all i ask

**I hope everyone's 2018 is off to a good start. I'm kicking off the new year with an amazing sinus infections that's lasted me nearly a week already. Yay!**

 **I realize I haven't been indicating which POV I start out with anymore, but no one seems to be confused. In case you wanted to know, it'll be Cindy this time. This chapter is also fairly short...it's still 11 pages, but shorter than my usual. Sorry about that.**

 **I've talked about this before to a few of you but I just want to put it out there: LIBBY IS HARD FOR ME TO WRITE. I don't know why. I love her. But I fail her most of the time.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please review!**

 **Dangerous**

Another school day passed by slowly with me wanting to scream, but I managed to make it through while successfully avoiding Jimmy and also not snapping at anyone unnecessarily. I was bombarded by Betty the second I entered the locker room to change for practice.

"I'm really not in the mood," I said before she could open her mouth, trying to sidestep her. She blocked my way easily.

"I just want to apologize," she replied quietly. I rolled my eyes.

"Save it for someone who will believe you."

"I'm serious, Cindy. If we can't work together then we can both wave goodbye to our chance at winning the competition. Do you really think anyone else on the squad has the potential to lead us to first place?" She asked, raising a brow.

I couldn't help but laugh a little at what she not-so-subtly hinting at. "Aren't you friends with half the squad?"

She just shrugged. "Maybe we can set our differences aside for just awhile. Don't you want to win?"

I did. I _needed_ for us to win, actually. I could pick up all the extra shifts at The Vibe that I wanted to but it wouldn't even make a dent in a semester's tuition at Princeton. I was starting to think that Betty was smarter than she looked. She was purposely using my love for winning against me...and damn if it wasn't working. Giving into what she wanted me to do felt really wrong. Keeping my thoughts to myself wasn't something I was used to do doing. If biting my tongue for a few months could secure my future a little better, then so be it.

"Fine, but that means from now on we make decisions together," I said slowly.

She nodded. "Deal. And you have to be nice." I just stared at her until she huffed a little. "As nice as you can be on any given day, then. Truce?"

She put her hand out for me to shake and I suddenly felt like I was in an alternative universe of some sort. In no way, shape, or form did I ever expect to be _trying_ to get along with Betty Quinlan. After a few seconds of internal debate, I shook her hand. She beamed at me and finally stopped blocking my way so I could get through.

I shook my head as I passed by her. This was just too weird.

I couldn't help but feel a little bit like I'd just made a deal with the devil.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

I'd just finished a tutoring session with a particularly difficult classmate and was making my way back to my locker to grab my backpack when I ran into Libby.

"What are you still doing here?" I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was already after five.

"I'm picking Sheen up from practice," she said before narrowing her eyes at me. "I have a bone to pick with you."

"What did I do?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," she replied while pointing at me.

"I really have no idea," I insisted. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. She seemed pretty angry.

She threw her hands up in the air in defeat. "I don't know who I'm more frustrated with: you or Cindy. You're somehow the most clueless person I know and Cindy is the most stubborn person on the _planet_. Both of you need to get it together."

"Can you backup just a little? Because I'm still lost."

She crossed her arms and glared at me. "You told Sheen that Cindy told you that she loved you."

My heart sank. I hadn't told Sheen and Carl that was I had confided in them the other day was a secret; assuming that was common sense. I should've known better than to trust Sheen to keep his mouth shut...especially around his own girlfriend.

"He didn't tell anyone else did he? Because that...would not be good," I said, starting to panic a little. Cindy would kill me, find a way to revive me, and then kill me again.

"Don't worry, he won't be tellin' nobody. I'm a little ticked off that she didn't tell me herself but I'm not surprised. What I wanna know is why you thought it was a good idea to open your big fat genius mouth like that."

I probably deserved that. Suddenly, an idea occurred to me: Libby was a girl. She could probably give me some sound advice considering she knew Cindy so well. Either way it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"I don't know what to do, Libby."

She raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"About Cindy and Betty. About anything, really."

"Do you need me to knock some sense into you? Cindy's been giving me some karate lessons," she smiled at me slyly. I looked at her sideways and she just laughed at me.

"I'm serious."

"So am I. You better not break my best friend's heart."

I had no doubt in my mind that she was dead serious. I was rethinking my idea to ask her for advice. There was no way she couldn't be biased towards Cindy - not that I would blame her for that.

"What do you think about Betty...like as a person? Be honest."

She seemed taken aback by the question. "Well, if you're wanting me to be honest, it seems like she's the perfect girl. Smart, pretty, nice."

"Why do I feel like that's not your honest answer?" I questioned.

"I said it _seems_ like she's perfect. No one's perfect. I think she tries too hard but she's gotta have a flaw somewhere," Libby shrugged.

"And what do you think that is?"

She narrowed her eyes at me again. "I know you're trying to pick my brain and I don't like it. If you need help working through this little problem of yours, all you have to do is say so."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, fine. Will you help me?" She grinned.

"I thought you'd never ask."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Libby and I parted ways with her promising me she wouldn't tell Cindy what she knew or that she was even talking to me. Somehow this was all going to blow up in my face, I just didn't know how or when yet.

I had a text from Betty asking me to meet her outside the gym doors when finished with practice, which was probably only a few minutes away. I waited for a few minutes, feeling uneasy, when girls started leaving the gym a few at a time.

I watched Betty walk out, a huge smile appearing on her face when she saw me, as if she were surprised to see me there. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and I was confused. When she'd left last night, she seemed angry at me. We hadn't even talked much all day long and I had concluded that she was going to be mad for awhile.

"I'm glad you're here," Betty said.

"Me too," I replied, but I was momentarily distracted by Cindy, who was now leaving the gym. Betty turned to see what I was looking at, and I was shocked to see her wave at the blonde.

"Bye Cindy!" She called out happily. I was even more shocked when Cindy gave a slight wave back before quickly getting into her car and leaving.

"What was that about?" I asked. Betty just shrugged.

"Well, you wanted the two of us to get along. We had a nice, long talk today."

"Really?"

She took my hand and lead me toward my car. I followed without much fight. "Don't look so surprised," she chided me gently.

"I just wasn't expecting the two of you to reconcile so quickly," I started to backtrack. "I know how Cindy can be."

We stopped as we got to my car. "I promised my parents I would eat dinner at home tonight," she said, ignoring what I'd just said. "So I can't talk long. I asked you to meet me because I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was just upset."

"Betty it's okay, I understand."

She just nodded, smiling shyly at me now even though her eyes were dark and serious. "I love that you're so understanding. I also wanted to tell you that I'm willing to get along with Cindy because she's your friend. And I would do anything for you...because I love you."

I gulped. This was the moment I'd been half-dreading because I still didn't know if I loved Betty or not. I knew that if I didn't say "I love you" back to her, it may cause another fight, which was the last thing I wanted to happen. But I didn't want to be dishonest, either. I took a deep breath and hoped I could find the right words to explain how I really felt.

Luckily, I was literally saved by a the honking of a car horn that was nearby. I knew that had to be Betty's ride.

"I have to go or I'll be late," she gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Call me later, okay?"

She ran off and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was just given more time to think about things but it was just delaying the inevitable, uncomfortable conversation I knew I would have to have with Betty.

I suddenly wished I had put up more of a fight when my mom had pressured me into branching out this past summer. My life would probably be a lot simpler if I had chosen to sit in my lab instead of spending every day by the pool with Betty.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

I drove away from school as quick as I could without getting pulled over or crashing, eager to get to work and forget about this entire day. Usually, making fancy coffees for four or five hours straight was tedious and annoying but I knew that today I would welcome the mind-numbing effect it tended to bring.

I tried not to think about the image of Betty and Jimmy standing together outside of the gym. Now that I'd done the dumbest thing imaginable and confessed my feelings to him, it now felt like he was rubbing it in my face every time I saw the two of them together. I knew Jimmy wasn't that cruel, nor would he ever use my feelings against me. That wasn't the type of person he was. Even with knowing that, it still felt like salt was being rubbed into an open wound.

My favorite coworker at The Vibe, Ginger, was working when I arrived for my shift and I was relieved. Every time we worked together we used the same plan: she would take orders and I would make the drinks, with her handing them out. Halfway through the shift we would switch places so neither of us would get tired. It always seemed to work well for us.

I offered to take the first drink-making shift and time went by quickly. Ginger poked her head around the cappuccino machine after what felt like hours had passed and said, "That drink you're making is the last person in line right now, so I'm going to take my break. Then we can switch." I nodded and she left.

I finished making the drink I was holding and stepped around the row of tall, whirring coffee makers to hand the drink off. A familiar hand took it from me and I raised my eyes to see who it was. Bryan.

I took a step back instinctively. "Hey wait," he said, probably thinking I was going to run off. He was almost right. I would probably leave the entire state if it were an option. "I just want to talk to you, please. You haven't been answering any of my texts."

His usual easy going manner had been replaced with a serious, sadder one but I wasn't going to let it get to me. I still had the way he had grabbed my arm at his party burned into my brain.

"That's because I blocked your number. You need to leave now." I was trying to talk quietly so no one else would be able to know what was going on, but we got a few odd looks from the customers sitting closest to the counter anyways.

"Cindy, I'm sorry. I know I acted like an asshole the other night. You don't have to forgive me but at least give me a chance to explain," he begged.

"I don't owe you anything," I said simply. Ginger reappeared behind me, oblivious to what was going on.

"Ready to switch, Cin?" She asked. Instead of waiting for an answer, she went behind the counter and started cleaning up my previous station. The bell for the door dinged and a few people walked in.

"I know you'll want to hear what I have to tell you. It's about Betty. I'll be waiting in the parking lot when you get off," Bryan said before walking away.

The next customers started rattling their complicated orders off to me so I didn't have time to think about what he'd just said.

All I knew was that I was going to throw caution to the wind. Whatever he had to say about Betty, I wanted to know about it.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I impatiently waited for nine o'clock to come, which was the end of my shift. It had been nearly two hours since I'd seen Bryan and that was a long time for him to wait outside in November, warm car or not. I didn't know what Bryan's car looked like but there was a large black SUV parked a spot over from mine. Either that was him or I was going to get murdered and thrown in the back of a sketchy vehicle.

I inched towards my car and I was relieved when Bryan got out of the SUV.

"I'm surprised you actually waited," I said to him.

He shrugged. "It was the least I could do after being an ass to you."

I decided not to vocally agree with him even though I did. "What did you need to tell me about Betty?"

"First off, just let me say I'm sorry for how I acted the other night," he sighed. "I know it's not an excuse but I drank way too much."

"I'll accept your apology," I said somewhat stiffly. There was no way in hell I'd ever trust him again or try to be his friend. He'd called my friends losers and acted like a crazy person; the only reason I was standing in front of him now was to get some possible dirt on Betty.

He nodded. "I can tell you're still mad. But maybe if I tell you part of the reason I acted like that, you would understand a little better."

I raised a brow, signaling for him to continue.

"I shouldn't have even brought up Betty that night when we were in my room. I really do like you, Cindy. And I'll admit I've had some trouble getting over Betty but she cheated on me."

I was surprised with the blunt way he was speaking. "Woah, really?" He nodded again. "That's actually kind of hard to believe. She doesn't seem like the type to cheat."

I wasn't sure whether I should believe him or not. He could just be telling me all this to get on my good side.

"That's what I thought at first too," he replied with a dark smile. "I thought everything was great between us. We had a few issues since I was in college and she was still just a junior but I figured we could get past those things, especially once she became a senior and started thinking about college herself."

"But didn't you two break up before the school year started?" That was the only timeline that made sense to me, considering Betty had stolen my seat in first period during the first week of school and had started dating Jimmy soon thereafter.

"Technically, no. We started fighting more over the summer because she took that stupid lifeguarding job. She was ignoring my calls, never wanted to hangout. I just wanted her to talk to me."

I was starting to connect the dots and it wasn't going to make a very pretty picture. I was also starting to figure out when Bryan had perfected his stalking skills.

I held my hands up so he wouldn't speak again. "Before you go any further, you need to just tell me when you and Betty broke up."

"She told me she wanted to take a break the Friday before she had her party but she still wanted me to come to the party, of course. She had no other way to get alcohol," he explained. "I figured she wanted a night of fun or maybe she was confused. It was like she was toying with me. Playing beer pong for hours with your friend Jimmy, suggesting playing spin the bottle. And let's just say she definitely wasn't planning on inviting me to play."

I was pretty sure my mouth was open with shock. I had no idea what to say and Bryan was beginning a full-fledged rant about Quinzilla.

"But she didn't break up with me officially until the week after her party."

I thought back to that first week of school and all I could remember was kissing Jimmy at the party. I pushed that memory aside and Bryan's story was actually making a little sense. His behavior and the picture of them in his room seemed less crazy if I were to believe what he was saying. I just wasn't sure if I could imagine Betty being so cruel. Sure, she'd been a massive bitch as of late, but I had been pretty sure that was situational and not a permanent personality flaw of hers.

"So you're telling me that not only did Betty cheat on you, but she cheated on you with _Jimmy Neutron_?"

"Unless there's another genius around, then yeah."

"Why should I even believe you?" I asked.

"I know it's probably hard to believe. Find out the truth for yourself if you want. I just wanted you to know that I was sorry and things have been pretty messed up."

I nodded. "Thanks for telling me. I'm sort of grounded so I need to get home before my mom kills me."

"Well, thanks for listening. But I was going to tell you one more thing," he continued without waiting for a response, "You might want to warn Jimmy. I'm sure he's a nice guy, and I'm sure he didn't know. But if she did it to me then she'll do it to him, too."

He got back in his car and I did the same, thinking about what he said. If I knew anything about Jimmy, then there was no way he would believe me if I told him this story.

Hell, I wasn't sure if I believed it myself.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I rushed home, a little panicked because I'd spent nearly thirty minutes talking to Bryan. I would just tell my mom I worked late if she asked.

I pulled into my driveway and my house was dark. I opened the garage for good measure and it was empty. I breathed a sigh of relief as I shut the door again. At least I wouldn't have to listen to a lecture.

I got out of my car and looked at my phone as I walked towards the front door. Maybe I should call Libby and tell her the whole story. Surely she would know what I should do.

I looked up as I got to the porch stairs and abruptly stopped when I saw that Jimmy was sitting on them. We stared at each other for a good few seconds and I was starting to wonder if maybe he had sleepwalked his way over here.

"What do you want?" I asked warily, too nervous to let him speak first.

"I thought you were grounded," he said without answering my question.

"I am. I was on work release," I tried my hand at a small joke but his solemn expression didn't change. I sighed. "Just tell me why you're here, Neutron."

"Are we going back to that now? Using last names and pretending we hate each other?" I felt alarmed by the sudden change in his voice; he sounded bitter and upset. "I guess that makes sense, though, since all you do is avoid me anyway. I tried going to The Vibe to talk to you earlier but your coworker told me you already left." I didn't like his accusing tone.

"I didn't even know you were here. I was waiting on Bryan," I said defensively, without thinking.

Jimmy's brow furrowed and his eyes were dark as he shook his head. "For the last time, Cindy, you need to stay away from him."

"I'm not fighting with you about this!" I replied. Like usual, him trying to tell me what to do drove me crazy and I tended to lose any sort of chill I was already struggling to maintain.

"Good, I'm not either," he said shortly. "Just promise me you won't talk to him."

"The only thing I'm going to promise is that I will kick your ass if you don't leave me alone."

I was edging closer and closer towards the opposite side of the porch, waiting for the right moment to get inside my house and lock the door so this conversation couldn't go any further. As if sensing my urge to run, Jimmy stood up. He was already taller than me but with him standing on the last step had him towering over me.

"Please don't leave," he said quietly. "We need to talk about what you said the other night."

"No, actually we don't need to talk about it. I was drunk."

"You weren't _that_ drunk. I've seen you drunk before. It usually involves you laying on the bathroom floor and laughing hysterically."

"That was one time! You don't know how drunk I was," I argued. "Either way it doesn't matter. Just forget what I said."

Since this conversation was going nowhere, I decided I could do everything possible to take my words back. If Jimmy had any inclination to return my feelings, he would've done so by now. He didn't love me and I had to remember that.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you and I should both pretend that what happened before, during, and after Halloween didn't actually happen."

Jimmy looked a little defeated and didn't say anything right away. "I'm giving you a chance, Cindy. Right now. A chance to not run away and have an honest conversation with me about everything."

"You're giving _me_ a chance?" I exclaimed, my voice getting more indignant by the second. "What about all the chances I've given you?" Said chances included how I had tried to kiss him in his room during our study session and how I'd told him I loved him. Both times I'd been met with silence or resistance. I was so angry at this point that I decided to just go ahead and say it. "By the way, you might want to talk to Bryan. He's got some interesting info about Betty that would probably benefit you."

His eyes narrowed, his body tensing up. "Oh sure, I'll go talk to him right now," he said sarcastically. "Whatever he told you was probably a lie. He's not a good guy."

I shrugged. "You may be right. He told me Betty cheated on him, Jimmy. I just don't want you to-"

"You know, this is pretty low even for you," he interrupted. "I know that you and Betty don't get along. But at least she's trying to make things civil between the two of you. And what are you doing right now? Spreading a lie you heard from Bryan so I'll break up with her?"

I suddenly regretted ever bringing it up. My initial instinct had been right. He was never going to believe me. Apparently he wasn't even going to think about questioning Betty.

I'd been so focused on trying not to ruin his happiness and I fucked that up by confessing my feelings. He was going to resent me now that I tried to tell him something that might not even be the truth. _Good job Vortex_ , I scolded myself. _Princeton better reject you. You're an idiot._

I had feeling similar to what felt like slipping down into quicksand with no way out as I watched Jimmy step off my porch and stop in front of me. He was going to be the one walking away this time and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop him. "You kept telling me to leave you alone. I should've listened."

He walked off towards his own house, leaving me standing alone. I couldn't do much but watch him walk away.

He disappeared into his house and I finally went inside since I could hear Humphrey whining on the other side of the door. I unlocked it and let him outside. Instead of going straight to the yard like usual, he pawed at my legs. I crouched down and rubbed his ears. He licked my face excitedly and I suddenly realized that I must be crying. He was licking my tears.

"I think I just ruined my friendship with Jimmy," I told Humphrey. He stared at me for a moment before resting his head in my open hand, giving me comfort in a way that only a dog knew how.

I decided to go with my earlier idea and call Libby. If Bryan had been lying and Betty was actually was innocent as she looked, then so be it. Quinzilla and Boy Genius could live happily ever after and I would let it go.

But until I knew the truth I wasn't going to stop thinking about it. I knew Libby would feel the same way.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **So what do you guys think - do you think Betty is being honest when she says she's going to get along with Cindy? Do you think Bryan's story is true? Do you think Cindy subconsciously pushes away men because her "dad" was so absent in her life? Yes, I ask the hard-hitting questions.**

 **Poor Jimmy was probably overreacting, too. He's so confused and Cindy just threw him a curve ball (again). Don't worry too much about their fight. Things have to get worse before they can get better. ;)**

 **This chapter would've been up a little earlier but for some reason I had a hard time finding a good place to end it!**

 **Next chapter: Cindy (finally) searches for her real dad, Libby tries to fix things between her friends, Jimmy confronts Betty!**


	14. it's alright with me

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay...I've been slipping a little with writing and replying to reviews and I'm sorry for that. Things have been pretty busy in my life lately. By the way, I have a poll up on my profile right now. Take a look if you're interested.**

 **There's a lot to this chapter! I've been working on it awhile...I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Dangerous**

"Hey Cin what's up?" Libby answered my phone call quite casually. I had called her immediately after Humphrey and I went inside.

"Hey Libby," I tried to make my voice sound casual too but I don't think she bought it.

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned.

"Nothing's wrong," I said quickly out of instinct. I paused as I tried to figure out a way to tell her all that had happened. "Well, actually there is. Bryan came into my work tonight."

"Oh my God!" She practically screamed in my ear. "What did he want?"

I told her the entire story Bryan had told me about Betty, making sure to leave nothing out. She held just as much disbelief that I had at first but eventually came to same conclusion that I had: his story seemed to add up.

"You mean to tell me that she was with Bryan all summer and even when school started? That's gross," she said. "Are you going to tell Jimmy?"

"I kind of already did," I replied. "It did not go over well."

Tears suddenly rushed to my eyes again and since no one was around except Humphrey, I didn't even bother to hold them back. He was laying on my bed with his head resting on his front paws, looking at me with solemn eyes.

"I can imagine."

"He didn't believe me, Libby. He hates me now."

She was silent for a moment and I was sure that she could hear my wobbly voice and sniffles even though I held the phone away from my face as I did them. I'd never told Libby how I felt about Jimmy, nor did I intend to. She had seemed to figure it out on her own anyway but we never talked about it at length. I was convinced that I didn't need to tell anyone else since I'd told Jimmy and it hadn't gone quite how I'd planned.

"Did he say that he hated you?" She asked quietly.

"Well...not exactly. But he was angry."

"Look at it from his perspective. He doesn't want to believe his girlfriend would use him to cheat. He definitely doesn't want to believe any story told by the asshole ex of said girlfriend."

She was making a lot of sense but I still wasn't happy about it. "Sure, and he doesn't want to listen to _me_ , because I'm just the girl keeps fucking things up for his relationship." I wiped a tear away from my face even though there was more to follow.

"You didn't fuck anything up!" Libby said loudly. "He doesn't hate you. He may be angry but he'll get over it."

"I hope you're right. I never thought I'd be saying this out loud, but I don't want Neutron to hate me forever."

"What are we going to do about Betty? Are we going to meddle?"

"Is that even in question? Meddling is my favorite pastime."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I did something very unusual the next day - I pretended to be sick so I could skip school. I needed an entire day devoted to looking for the man my mother had been posing with in her yearbook. I knew I wouldn't have time after school since I had made plans to meet up with Libby. I kissed my perfect attendance record goodbye without much regret. I wasn't sad about it considering it would be worth it...if I actually found anything out.

It was fairly easy to trick my mother. She probably figured I must be pretty sick if I actually wanted to stay home. She dumped a pile of medicine from our cabinet along with a glass of water onto my nightstand and made me promise to call her if I needed anything. She even kissed me on the forehead before leaving, making me feel slightly guilty for lying.

The feeling disappeared after a quick moment. The second I heard her car pull away, I got ready and left myself.

I came to find out that Matthew Kelley's most previous address was a downtown apartment building. I decided against calling the number that I had for him. I was more persuasive in person, and I was afraid I would get the wrong person if I did call.

The building looked normal; not fancy or rundown. I slipped inside and went up the stairs. Suddenly, I started to feel very nervous. Apartment 2B was standing right in front of me as I reached the top of the stairs, and my hands were clammy and my heart was racing. I had no idea why I would be nervous. I had very low hopes that I would find my real dad with all this searching. I would be lucky to find a morsel of information about him.

I knocked on the door and I heard some shuffling on the other side. A few moments passed and I was thinking about knocking again when the door opened slowly. A short woman with gray hair that looked to be around seventy years old was standing in front of me now.

"Can I help you?" Her voice was kind but sounded confused.

"Sorry to bother you, but I was just looking for a man named Matthew Kelley. I thought he lived here…" I trailed off awkwardly, hoping she would explain.

"There's no one here by that name," she said shortly. "I live by myself."

"I understand. Is there a Matthew in this building, maybe? I could just have the wrong apartment number." I was cursing William in my head. I had a hunch now that he'd led me on a wild goose chase.

"I don't know all my neighbors but the name doesn't ring a bell."

I mustered up a smile. "Thank you. Once again I'm sorry for bothering you." I turned to walk away, already thinking of all the things I wanted to yell at my former father.

"Wait!" The little lady stopped me. "What is your name?"

I thought it was strange that she was asking but I decided to humor her. "My name is Cindy Vortex."

"Why are you looking for this...Matthew?" She was squinting at me behind large glasses.

"Uh...it's sort of a long story," I said slowly. I had no idea how to explain my situation.

"Well, I may not know this man you're trying to find but I may be able to help you."

"How?"

"Is your mother named Sasha?" She asked abruptly. I nodded, confused. "I used to babysit her back in the day." She smiled as if she were remembering a fond memory.

"My mother doesn't know I'm here. I'm not sure if you have talked to her lately but she wouldn't be happy to know what I was doing."

"Then it can be our little secret," she whispered to me, eyes dancing mischievously.

This lady seemed a little kooky. I didn't believe in fate, but it was a pretty wild coincidence to find someone who knew my mom in the exact same apartment where I thought I would find the man she went to prom with.

"Would you like to come in?" She opened the door to her apartment just a little wider, gesturing for me to walk through the space she left. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea but hardly anything I decided lately seemed to be. She winked at me and I felt newfound determination.

She'd offered to help me. Who was I to refuse?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

"You're more of an idiot than I thought," Libby's loud, calm voice was definitely startling this early in the morning. I hadn't even gone downstairs yet. I was wondering what was going through my mother's head every time she opened the front door and a different girl was standing on the other side of it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice sounding indignant even to my own ears.

Libby pointed a finger at me and glared. She didn't seem to care that it wasn't even eight am yet on a school day, or that she could've burst into my room while I was still getting dressed. Luckily I had already been fully clothed.

"When my best friend calls me late at night and it sounds like she wants to cry, I start to get a little worried. When I found out she got into a fight with you I got pissed off. What the hell is going on?"

"Does Cindy know you're here?"

That question was answered with an eye roll. "Of course not. Cindy doesn't know a lot of things, including that I agreed to help you out or that I know how she feels about you."

"Well we don't have to worry about either of those things anymore," I muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's means that I'm done, Libby," I said while sighing. "Cindy wants me to forget about everything that happened between us so I'll be doing her a favor by letting it go. Not to mention, last night she brought up some crazy rumor she heard from Bryan of all people…"

"That Betty cheated on Bryan with you," Libby said hurriedly, as if she was trying to get to the point of this conversation faster. "She told me. You don't believe it?"

"I don't believe anything that Bryan says."

"I trust Bryan about as far as I can throw him, too. But you're not even going to bring it up to Betty? Do a little digging?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"That's exactly that the two of them want me to do, right? So Bryan can get back with Betty, and Cindy -"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Libby cut me off, eyes narrowing. "I'll just pretend that you weren't about to accuse my best friend of doing something so malicious." I shrugged and she took that as a sign to continue. "Jimmy, use your genius brain here. Why would Bryan make up a whole story like that? And if Betty truly has nothing to hide, the two of you can get past the awkwardness of you bringing it up anyway."

"I can't just accuse her of cheating on Bryan. We've never talked about Bryan before. She will freak out."

"It's a situation that may take some finessing. Just be careful with what you say and don't make it sound like you're accusing her," Libby said confidently. I just gave her a curious look. "What?"

"Why are you helping me with Betty? You came in here mad at me because you thought I made Cindy cry. What happened?"

She just gave me a small smile that made me feel as if I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. She sat down in my desk chair. I followed her lead and sat down on my bed so that I was facing her.

"Let me just put it this way: I know Cindy can fight her own battles. She doesn't need me or anyone else to protect her and in fact, she would hate it if she knew I was here trying to defend her."

"So why are you?"

"Because I know she's been through a lot of shit lately. She needs at least one person on her side and that's me." Confused, I was having flashbacks to a conversation Libby and I'd had immediately after Betty's party. I remembered how she told me Cindy was having a rough week but wouldn't tell me why. I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but she cut me off again. "Before you ask, I'm not going to tell you everything. But you know how Cindy wants to go to Princeton?"

I could remember the look in her eyes when she saw the application sitting on my desk like it was yesterday. I nodded.

"She doesn't think she'll be able to go. Her family have been dealing with some...financial issues," Libby said uncomfortably, as if she didn't know how to word it.

"Well that's ridiculous," I exclaimed. "Cindy's smart and I know she'll get scholarships."

Libby nodded. "I'm sure she will. There's more to it than that but it's a long story. Please don't tell anyone. Especially Cindy." I agreed to keep quiet. "And you'll talk to Betty?"

"As much as I don't want to, I know it's what I should do."

"Remember how I mentioned that Betty can't be perfect?"

"I think I recall you saying that she must have a flaw somewhere. You also said you didn't want me picking your brain."

"I don't. This time I'm offering the information myself," she said smartly, and I just shook my head. "Just keep that in mind when you talk to her."

"I'm not going to be picking apart her personality every time I talk to her looking for something fundamentally wrong with her, Libby. That's not really fair."

"No, it's not fair, but you don't seem to have a problem with blindly believing that she would never cheat on anyone."

I was fighting a losing battle with this conversation. There was no reasoning with her. "You preach a lot about Betty not being perfect but Cindy's not perfect either," I said crossly. Although Libby had told me that she wasn't trying to defend Cindy, I still believed that she was biased towards her. It was hard to trust advice from someone who might believe Bryan's story when I still didn't know what to believe myself. I was starting to feel very paranoid about everything.

"Chill out!" Libby told me. "Do yourself and everyone else a favor and stop comparing the two of them. It won't get you anywhere."

"I don't always compare them," I said defensively. She gave me a pointed look.

"In your situation it'd be hard not to," she said, surprising me again. "Here's a comparison for you - Cindy is upfront about everything whether people like it or not. Betty seems like the type to hide something." She had a point about that. "Just go with your gut but be smart about it."

"You might be onto something."

She grinned at me this time, picking up her backpack that she had carelessly discarded shortly after walking into my room. "I'm glad we see eye to eye. And for good measure, this conversation doesn't leave this room, or I'll send Cindy and her black belt skills after you."

I rolled my eyes although I knew it wasn't an empty threat. "I'm not looking to get killed so early in life. Thanks for barging into my room so early in the morning."

"No problem."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The next day at school, I noticed right away that Cindy was missing from first period and thought about how unusual it was for her to be late. When class ended and she still wasn't anywhere in sight, I started to wonder if maybe she wasn't going to show up at all. I kept glancing at the empty desk that was right behind Betty's like I was expecting her to be sitting there with her golden hair and bright green eyes looking right back at me each time.

After Libby and I talked this morning, I had a bad taste in my mouth regarding how I treated Cindy the night before. I still didn't believe Bryan's story but obviously Cindy believed it to be true. It would make sense that she would have no issue believing it since she didn't like Betty. I couldn't necessarily fault her for that. Cindy was a lot of things, but she wasn't usually a person with terrible intentions. My initial thought had been that she was trying to break Betty and I up. Now I wasn't so sure if I'd been right.

When lunchtime rolled around I was certain she wasn't coming to school today. "Where's Cindy?" I asked Libby as soon as she sat down with her tray.

She shrugged as she starting stabbing her salad with a fork. "I'm not sure. I texted her earlier but she hasn't replied."

"You're not worried?"

Sheen and Carl were oblivious to our conversation, too busy eating their lunch to pay attention. Libby side-eyed me.

"No more than usual."

She didn't say anything else but I knew Cindy better than that. I knew she was proud of her perfect attendance and most sicknesses wouldn't stop her from attending. I highly doubted that she was sick since she had seemed fine last night. Maybe she was going to great lengths to avoid me.

But I knew that couldn't be right either. Cindy knew how to avoid me without actually skipping school.

The day dragged on and I considered texting her. I even considered apologizing even though at this point I wasn't sure if I should. I needed to talk to Betty more than anything, but with Cindy not being at school, I felt antsy.

I texted Betty between classes just to give me something to do and I asked her to come over after school. She replied immediately, telling me she would love to. I now had something else to worry about.

The lab table I usually shared with Cindy in chemistry felt empty and strange without her next to me. I didn't think I would have such a strong reaction to her missing one day of school. It was hard for me to pay attention, and I spent the remaining minutes of the school day staring at the clock, willing time to move faster. When the bell rang, however, I found myself dragging. I was certainly dreading the conversation I needed to have with Betty.

I bumped into Libby on my way out the building. "Have you talked to her?" I asked quickly.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Calm down. She's sick."

"Cindy skipped school because she's sick?" I raised a brow at that. "I find that hard to believe. Freshman year she came to school when she had the flu and puked all over Nick's desk, remember?"

Libby laughed. "Unfortunately I do remember that. If you're so concerned maybe you should talk to her yourself."

I glared at her and she walked away laughing.

I went home and noticed that Cindy's car wasn't at her house but I wasn't surprised by that. I was a little surprised when I saw Betty's car parked in front of mine. She was already sitting on the couch waiting on me when I walked inside, which made me even more nervous. She smiled at me as I closed the front door behind me.

"Let's go to my room," I said without even saying hi.

"Is everything okay?" She asked as she followed me up the stairs. I decided not to answer her until I had my bedroom door firmly shut behind us. She didn't sit down like she usually did, meaning she was probably just as nervous as I was.

I took a deep breath. "Everything's fine."

"Are you sure? What did you want to talk about?"

I took a good, long look at Betty and the concerned expression on her face. The entire time we'd been together, I had never doubted her honesty or her character...until now. I had a feeling that's what made this conversation particularly difficult.

"Do you picture us being together for a long time?" I asked, surprising even myself with the random question. She brows knitted together for a moment before she smiled.

"Of course," she said easily. "Don't you?"

I was caught a little off guard by her answer. I'd never been in relationship before the one I was in now so I didn't have much experience, but that didn't help the uncomfortable feeling I had. I'd always assumed that when the time came for me to have a serious girlfriend, we would fall in love and it wouldn't be something I would question. But here I was: conflicted with my feelings for two girls, one that I was already dating and one who I had believed didn't have any friendly feelings towards me up until just a few weeks ago.

Beating around the bush wasn't going to save any of my nerves, so I decided to just ask the next question on my mind. "Why didn't you tell me you used to date Bryan?"

Betty's eyes widened and her smile disappeared. "What's going on, Jimmy?" She asked quietly.

I had promised myself I would go into this conversation with an open mind but the fact that she had answered my question with one of her own wasn't settling well with me.

"It doesn't even matter that you dated Bryan," I started rambling nervously. "It's not like I expected to be the first person you've ever dated. That's pretty unrealistic. And it makes sense that you could remain friends with an ex significant other, even if that is an uncommon occurrence, which would explain why he would be hanging around you -"

"Jimmy!" Betty said loudly to stop me. "I'm confused. Are you mad that I didn't tell you about Bryan?"

"I'm not mad about that," I said quickly. This conversation wasn't going the way I'd planned.

"Well, I'm sorry I never told you about him," she said quietly. "Things between Bryan and I didn't end very pleasantly, so I try not to think about it." She sat down on my bed and looked down at her hands, which were folded neatly in her lap. "How did you find out?"

"There seems to be a lot of people that knew before me," I said more bitterly than I intended. "I don't really remember."

"I understand if you're angry with me. If our positions were reversed, I would feel the same way."

I wondered how angry she would be if she knew that Cindy had been the one to tell me about Bryan, not that I would ever tell her. She was acting so sad and guilty that it was almost hard for me to continue feeling suspicious of her. I sat down on the bed next to her.

"Maybe we should...talk about Bryan. I know you might not want to talk about how things ended between the two of you, but it could make you feel better," I said hesitantly. I was trying to open up the conversation a little so I could get information without sounding accusing.

"Bryan is in my past," Betty said shortly. "Nothing about him matters anymore."

"Okay, but if something is bothering you about him then maybe I can help you through it."

"Talking about the relationship I had with Bryan and how we broke up hasn't bothered me in over six months. Is there something else that's bothering you?" She said curiously.

"You wouldn't lie to me about anything, would you?" I asked quietly. We stared at each for a few long, intense seconds. She was the first to break the moment.

"I don't know what's going through your head right now but I wouldn't lie to you. And I would never even think about cheating on you. I told you I loved you, Jimmy, and I meant it."

Her words swam through my head as I tried to figure out a response to them. She sniffled a little, and I realized that she was crying.

"Betty-"

"I really need to get going," she said abruptly. "I have a meeting tonight to plan the holiday dance and I can't miss it since Mrs. Lawrence put me in charge."

"I don't think you should leave in the middle of this," I said weakly. She just shook her head at me and stood up.

"I'm not. This conversation isn't over."

She leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. She was right, this talk wasn't nearly over. The entire conversation we'd had felt like a flop, but I did manage to get one piece of information out of her: she'd alluded to the fact that her and Bryan had broken up over six months ago. That would've been in April or May, long before Betty and I started dating.

I had purposely refrained from bringing up the story Cindy had told me just to test Betty, which I felt bad about now considering how she had started crying. So far, it seemed like the story I was told was just that...a story. If anything, Betty seemed to be still be a little upset over whatever happened between her and Bryan.

I was a little bothered by something she'd said though. It was something I hadn't mentioned or hinted around at, I hadn't even said the word aloud. I found it funny that she was the one that brought it up.

 _I would never even think about cheating on you_.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

The little old lady living in apartment 2B, whose name I learned was Meredith, kept me entertained with stories about my mother as a young girl and very satiated with endless amounts of sweet tea and cookies.

Her apartment was small but cozy, and she had a huge black labrador named Coco that sat lazily at my feet the entire time we talked. I wasn't surprised by the way she described my mom - tenacious, determined, maybe a little bit of a handful.

After it seemed she had run out of stories, she asked me curiously about who Matthew Kelley was and why I was looking for him. I didn't know if it was Meredith's kind, almost grandmotherly demeanor or if she had slipped some sort of truth serum into my tea, but I didn't hold back while answering. I told her everything; from when I found out William wasn't my father to how I decided to start looking for the man in my mother's yearbook photo.

Meredith comforted me by patting my hand and kept quiet during my entire story. "All of this must be so hard on you, dear," she said when I finished.

"Maybe you remember my mom being with someone before she married my dad - uh, William?"

"I lost touch with your mother as she grew older," she said somewhat sadly. "But I could help you do a little digging. It's a small town after all."

I hoped that I wasn't wasting my time. I wasn't sure if she could be much help to me but it was worth a shot. I glanced at the clock on her wall and nearly choked on my sweet tea when I saw that it was already after three pm. School was already out and I needed to meet Libby. Not to mention, I would need to be home before my mother found out I wasn't actually sick.

"I have to go," I said, standing up and making a beeline toward the door. Both Meredith and Coco were hot on my heels. "Thank you for everything."

"Come back soon," Meredith said as I opened the door to leave. "You're a nice young lady, Cindy. I want to help you."

I left the apartment building in high spirits and called Libby as I got into my car and started driving towards The Vibe.

"You're late," she grumbled as soon as she answered.

"I know, I know. I got caught up with something."

"You can tell me all about it when you get here. I got us one of those booths in the back just in case someone hears us - or if Jimmy or Betty show up."

"That would be my worst nightmare."

"Not far off from reality, though. Jimmy wouldn't shut up about you all day so he could be looking for you. I can't believe you actually skipped school."

I parked my car in the lot behind the coffee shop and hung up so we could finish our conversation inside. When I spotted her, it looked like Libby was trying a little too hard to be inconspicuous - she was giving suspicious looks to everyone and was wearing all black, unusual for her.

"You're taking this double agent thing too seriously," I told her as I sat down and gratefully took the coffee she pushed towards me. She just shrugged.

The night before while on the phone, Libby had confessed that Jimmy had come to her for some advice but she hadn't actually given any yet. At first I felt a little angry, but I realized that it was a good thing and I could work this situation to my advantage. Jimmy apparently trusted Libby to a point and that meant she could knock some sense into him about Betty. If he wouldn't take me seriously then maybe he would someone else.

I knew things never went according to plan, though. Knowing Libby, she would probably insert her own logic and opinions into whatever I told her to say to Jimmy. I just hoped that she wouldn't be doing any matchmaking. That wasn't my goal. I just didn't want Jimmy to get hurt by Quinzilla.

"I went to Jimmy's this morning before school," she said. "He eventually promised me that he would talk to Betty."

"Well that's a start, I guess. Anything else?"

"I may have threatened him a little, but that's neither here nor there."

I didn't expect anything less from her. She knew I always approved of threats.

She asked me the real reason about why I'd skipped school, obviously knowing I was never sick enough to skip. I told her about how I went looking for a man I'd found in my mother's yearbook, suspecting he would be able to help me find my real father, but found an elderly lady instead. "Do you think this person can actually help you?" She asked.

"I'm not sure but I'll be pissed if I messed up my perfect attendance record for nothing."

"You're going to be even more pissed when you find out there's a planning meeting for the holiday dance tonight."

I groaned. The school had a rule that if a student missed school, they weren't allowed to attend any sports games, practices, or meetings that were also held that day. "It's bad enough that I'm missing cheerleading practice, but now the dance meeting? Betty will be running everything by tomorrow."

"I guess you better be prepared for anything she throws at you tomorrow, then."

I had a feeling that was easier said than done.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Do you guys like Meredith? She's a special lady!**

 **I wanted Libby's advice to be tough but smart and yet simple like Sheen's. Because she's the best. I hope you liked that part, I enjoyed writing it. I also hope you like that she's a double agent.**

 **This is one of those overthinking struggles again, but I apologize if Cindy's scenes with her looking for Matthew seems abrupt and out of place in this chapter. I did my best to make things flow together but it sticks out to me when I read it. But as I like to say...if it's important to the plot then it doesn't matter. ;)**

 **Please review!**


	15. real friends

**So sorry for the delay in updating! I had to work extra hours last week and then went on a short trip over the weekend. I'm glad I finally found time to write and post. If I ever had a reputation for updating quickly, that has gone down the drain. ;)**

 **Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Some exciting things will be happening soon in the upcoming chapters…be prepared.**

 **Dangerous**

The uneasy feeling I had that occurred after my conversation with Betty continued into the next day. I was getting out of my car in the school parking lot when I saw Libby walking towards me quickly.

"How did it go?" She asked me quietly as she got closer to me.

"How did you know I already talked to her?" I asked, confused. I looked around for a moment, wondering if Cindy would be at school today.

Libby just gave me a look. It seemed like girls were all-knowing about things like this. "We have like five minutes until the bell. Can we hurry this conversation along?"

"I think Cindy is starting rub off on you," I chuckled at her impatience. She sighed. "She didn't want to talk about Bryan. She said she's been done with him for a long time."

"That's all she said?"

I was conveniently leaving out the part I was most confused about - the _I wouldn't even think about cheating on you_ line. I had a feeling Libby would latch onto it and try to get me to dig for more information from Betty, which was the last thing I wanted to think about doing right now.

"She seemed upset that I brought it up. She was crying and everything. We didn't really finish the conversation, either."

"What do you mean by that?" Libby asked with a strange expression on her face.

"She had to go to some meeting for the holiday dance and she left."

"Sounds like a deflection technique."

I rolled my eyes. "What about being innocent until proven guilty?"

"If she really cared about you she would be putting all of your doubts at ease for your own peace of mind," Libby said matter-of-factly.

In a way, Betty had done that...or at least tried to. I just wasn't so convinced of anything yet. "She told me she loved me. Does that count as peace of mind?" I genuinely wanted to know.

Libby looked angry for a second but the expression disappeared quickly, a neutral one replacing it. "...did you say it back?"

We could hear the muffled sound of the bell come from the school building, meaning that we were going to be late for class if we weren't there in three minutes. I had literally been saved by the bell; I had no desire to answer that question. If I had said yes, I would be lying and if I said no, Libby would take that as a sign that Betty and I didn't belong together. I didn't entirely trust her to not tell Cindy everything that we had talked about.

"We're going to be late," I said, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and walking off.

Cindy was seated in her usual seat behind Betty when we finally arrived to class. I let Libby walk in front of me and I saw Cindy looking at us curiously but I quickly looked away. Betty gave me a small smile as I sat down. I tried my best to return it but it felt forced.

I didn't feel much like smiling lately.

-0-0-0-0-0

 **Cindy**

Just as I'd suspected, Betty was on her way to taking over everything. At cheerleading practice the following day, she made sure to catch me up on what had happened the day before. Although the two of us were supposed to be working on routines together, I felt left behind compared to her - as if I were just another member of the squad instead of co-captain. I tried not to let my anger show during practice so Coach Kathy wouldn't notice, but I was secretly fuming.

There was another meeting for the holiday dance immediately after practice and I dragged Libby with me, unwilling to go through another Quinzilla torture session alone. My frustration only increased. She easily led the meeting; delegating tasks to everyone else. I could tell she loved every bit of it.

Libby and I were in charge of sorting through boxes of old decorations that had been sitting in one of the old storage closets in the school. The items inside included at least a mile long entangled string of white lights that Betty wanted to hang around the gym for the dance.

"This girl is trying to ruin my entire life," I whispered to Libby as I tugged on the stringed lights, willing them to come out of the box.

Libby looked around to see if anyone was looking at us. I wasn't exactly being inconspicuous about who I was trash-talking. We went further into the closet in order to have a little privacy. "Her ego definitely needs taken down a notch or two."

"Have you talked to Jimmy?" I asked semi-casually. I could practically feel the tension rise within the small space we were standing in. She was silent for a long moment, long enough that I thought she hadn't heard me. "Libby?"

She let out a frustrated noise. "This double agent thing is harder than I expected it would be," she whined.

I dropped the bundle of lights I had been working on back into the box and focused entirely on the uncomfortable expression on her face and the way she was avoiding eye contact. "What happened?"

"I talked to Jimmy this morning," she said quietly. "He talked to Betty but he didn't seem any more convinced of Bryan's story than he had been yesterday."

I sighed. "I had a feeling that would happen. It's okay, I guess. He'll have to come to the conclusion himself."

"Betty told him she loved him," Libby said in a rush, as if she were ripping off a bandaid.

I froze. "Wait...he told you that?"

She nodded. "I asked if he said it back. He never answered me."

"I suppose that might have been an invasion of privacy to ask," I said, trying my best to stay calm and nonchalant. In the grand scheme of things, a love confession from Betty to Jimmy wasn't so strange. They were dating, after all. If it weren't for Bryan's story, I probably wouldn't even be angry. Upset? Of course. I did love Jimmy but that didn't mean he was mine.

But now that I knew that she had most likely been lying and using Jimmy to cheat on her ex-boyfriend, I was more than a little pissed off. An _I love you_ from her seemed more like a manipulation than an honest sharing of feelings.

"I suppose it was," Libby was watching me carefully as if I were going to snap. I picked up the lights again for a hopeful distraction. "Are you okay?"

"We shouldn't be doing this. I told Jimmy the story and if he doesn't believe me, that's not our problem."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I don't want to meddle anymore," I said. "It's just going to make things worse."

"Cindy, you don't know that for sure. If anything, I think Jimmy needs a little guidance."

"Sure, but it's not going to be from us," I replied. "No more double agent, no more talking to him about Betty, okay?"

She stared at me for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I guess you're right. I probably should've never talked to him in the first place."

"At least we can say we tried."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

During the next couple of weeks, Cindy spent most of her time avoiding me and I spent mine avoiding Betty. Luckily, Betty was busy with meetings and practices so I didn't have to make excuses to get out of spending time with her.

I decided that trying to force a conversation with Cindy was a bad idea, at least until I could figure out what I was going to say to Betty. Our conversation about Bryan was still mostly unfinished but I had no desire to find out any sort of truths from her.

I spent most of my newly found free time in my lab, but I still wasn't creating anything worthwhile. I was also getting increasingly frustrated with myself. There had to be something wrong with me.

One afternoon, I had just given up and went upstairs to my room when Sheen and Carl showed up.

"We figured you'd be in the lab," Sheen commented as he flopped down on my bed.

"Just left there, actually," I said bitterly.

"Still haven't been able to invent anything?" Carl asked curiously. I tried to avoid the question but both of them were staring at me intently, obviously waiting for me to answer. I sighed.

"No, not really."

"Do you still think it has something to do with Betty?" Sheen asked.

"It's a possibility," I said with a shrug. Suddenly, a thought popped into my head. "Sheen, how did you know you were in love with Libby?"

The two of them looked at me as if I'd lost my marbles. At this point I was thinking that may not be a far off conclusion.

A thoughtful look came across Sheen's face. "Well, I knew I loved her when I felt like saying it to her."

"When was that? The sixth grade?" Carl asked sarcastically. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Can you be more specific? Really put some thought into it," I encouraged.

My room was silent for a few moments as Sheen looked deep in thought - a truly rare moment for my overactive, loud friend. He started to speak suddenly, nearly startling me. "I think it was a lot of things at once that made me realize it. Besides being the most beautiful girl I know, she just makes me happy. I always want to see her and talk to her. And when I think about the future she's always there with me. Even if I'm mad or upset about something, even if she's the reason I'm mad, I still know that she's...Libby. And I love her."

I just nodded, unsure as to what to say. His answer, while so simplistic in nature, was actually more well-thought out than I could have ever predicted coming from him.

"Why did you ask?" Sheen's question brought me out of my reverie.

"I was just thinking about things," I said quickly, hoping they wouldn't press me for more answers. I didn't want to talk about it until I had more time to think.

Fortunately, they left the subject alone and started up a game, handing me a controller. I took it absentmindedly. I was grateful for their presence and the interruption of my thoughts. I knew I probably needed to stop overthinking everything.

I know I wouldn't be able to put off the onslaught of thoughts for long, though. Sheen's words were running through my head - his definition of love just seemed to make sense to me. Even though I wasn't completely sure, I knew what he was feeling. I was happy about that; it meant that all the confusion that I'd been plagued with would hopefully be resolved. There was just one problem. The person I had in mind wasn't my current girlfriend.

It was Cindy.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

Two weeks slowly crept by, and I was feeling more stressed than usual. Seeing Jimmy at school was awkward; lunchtime and chemistry in particular made me want to scratch my eyes out. We didn't speak to each other - not even to exchange insults like we used to. Even the two bumbling idiots, Sheen and Carl, seemed to know that something was going on.

If wasn't in class, sleeping, or working - I was at cheerleading practice or at a planning meeting for the dance. Betty and I had managed to keep things civil so far. We'd spent one long, tiring evening picking out songs and constructing a choreographed routine to go along with them, and things were actually coming together nicely. If I didn't already know how evil and manipulative Betty could be, I would think she was actually a human being capable of empathy and kindness. I had a feeling she was trying hard to suck up because she knew that we are on thin ice with Coach Kathy.

However, the dance was not coming together quite so smoothly. Betty easily put herself in charge but she seemed to be butting heads with everyone, myself included. What was supposed to be a group effort felt more like a power struggle between Betty, Mrs. Lawrence, and me. Our arguments ranged from disagreements about who the DJ should be to the type of snacks we should have. Luckily, I had Libby there to help diffuse some of the tension.

To be completely honest, I didn't care much about the dance. I was only helping because it was a possible resume booster. I wasn't even looking forward to attending; at this rate, Betty and Jimmy were going to be married with two kids in five years and I wanted to stay far, far away from the both of them. I couldn't help but feel as if I had a constant open wound every time I saw or thought of him. Sometimes, while laying in bed late night and unable to sleep, I catch myself staring at the dark window of his bedroom and wondering where I went wrong. Unfortunately for me, I knew the answer to that question. I'd done a lot of things wrong - confessing my love to him, trying to kiss him in his room, telling him Bryan's story. For a long time I thought my first mistake was kissing him at Betty's party but now I know that my feelings for him go far past the physical attraction I felt in that moment. It all started with me letting him get under my skin with every interaction we had. I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment I had fallen for him. Maybe it had been developing for so long I would never know.

In an effort to keep my mind off of my main stressors - upcoming exams, the dance, and Quinzilla - I visited Meredith every chance that I could. I wasn't sure what it was about the small, sweet older lady that made me feel at ease, but I welcomed the feeling wholeheartedly.

She was always happy to see me. She never failed to greet me with a smile, hug, and some sweet tea. She tended to fuss over me and try to force feed me cookies, which was a little odd, but I suppose that was something that older women liked to do. She seemed to remember something different about my mother every time I saw her and even though it felt like my mother and I were living on opposite sides of the planet lately, it was nice to hear her stories.

Most importantly, she was helping me try to find my real dad. Matthew Kelley was like a ghost - other than the address Meredith lived at and the phone number that was currently out of service - we found nothing else about him. I had no doubt that I wouldn't find much without doing some much more intense digging, which I had little time for. Not only that, but Meredith seemed slightly angry every time I brought up Matthew. Although she had initially claimed to not know him, I wasn't sure if I believed that. If she had known my mother and various other people in town around that age then surely she would know who he was. In the end I decided to let it go for the time being. I could always look for him on my own.

I swiped some more yearbooks and photo albums from my mother's room and with Meredith's help, we looked up some more of her classmates that could be potential leads, but so far we weren't having any luck.

On one particular afternoon, I found myself thinking about Meredith more in depth. I didn't know much about her personal life. She lived alone with only Coco for company and she had never mentioned a husband or kids. Her apartment was nicely decorated but there were no personal photos sitting around. I felt a little sad for her. Despite her happy-go-lucky demeanor, I could imagine that she was lonely. She always seemed disappointed when I left.

Even though I'd already had a long day, Libby insisted that we go dress shopping for the dance so I went straight from Meredith's apartment to meet her at the mall. I was looking forward to buying a dress about as much as I was looking forward to the dance itself: not at all. I was sure Libby could sense that, but she managed to stay upbeat as we went into store after store.

I half-heartedly picked out a couple dresses for myself, mostly to appease Libby as she tried on so many that I lost count. She was debating between a long, flowing red dress and short sequined one when I spotted something that actually caught my eye.

The dress was simple - black, short, and off the shoulder. There must have been some sequins or jewels sewn inside the lacy material of the skirt, because it sparkled subtly in the light. It gave me the feeling that it was almost lit from within. I knew I needed to try it on.

Immediately after donning the dress I had decided I was going to buy it. I could feel a small amount of excitement blooming inside of me as I did a little spin in front of the mirror - maybe this dance wouldn't be so bad, after all. I could still have fun even if I had to watch the boy I love be with someone else.

I stepped out of the dressing room and Libby smiled at me widely. She had been wearing the sequined dress when I went in but was now wearing the long, red one.

"That's the one!" She exclaimed.

"I could say the same for you," I gestured towards her. The dress really did look beautiful on her.

"You think Sheen will like it?"

"I think you could wear a potato sack and Sheen would still rave about it all night."

She just laughed, but we both knew it was true. After a moment, she looked at me with a more serious expression. "Are you okay?"

That was a loaded question. I wasn't exactly sure what she was referring to - what she talking about Jimmy and Betty, or the failing search I was on for my real dad? I hadn't taken a single second in the past few weeks to stop, breathe, and evaluate my life. I was afraid that if I stopped moving then I would break down completely, which was something I wanted to avoid at all costs.

I nodded and gave her a small smile. "I'm fine." She didn't look convinced.

Instead of giving her a chance to press me with further questions, I went back into the dressing room to change and tried not to cry.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Jimmy**

After my conversation with Sheen and Carl, I knew I needed to stop avoiding my situation and talk to Betty and Cindy - preferably in that order. I still wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I could figure that out as the day went on. I suddenly felt antsy and restless, as if time were going too slowly for my liking.

When I got to school, I figured it couldn't hurt to talk to Libby again. The two of us hadn't spoken one-on-one for awhile but I hadn't exactly been the most responsive person during our previous conversations. She had probably assumed I didn't want her help.

I was able to catch her in the parking lot again, and she was alone. She looked startled as I stood in front of her, blocking her path to the school.

"Jimmy? What's up?"

"I need your help again," I said almost pleadingly. "You need to help me make sense of something Betty said to me."

She had been shaking her head at me the moment I'd said the word _help_ but I kept talking. "I can't help you anymore, I'm sorry. You're going to have to figure it out on your own."

"Why not? You didn't tell Cindy that you're helping me, did you?" I asked.

"Of course not!" She exclaimed. "But you're awful at taking my advice. Not only that, but I think Cindy is ready to move on."

I stared at her in shock. "She said that?" She couldn't move on now. That would be the world's worst timing - and it would be all my fault.

"Not in so many words...just call it my best friend intuition," Libby said smartly.

That made me feel a little better. Sometimes Cindy moved in ways that were mysterious even to Libby. If she were actually planning on moving on, everyone would know. I'm sure I would be the first one to get the memo.

"You really won't help me? I think the story Bryan told Cindy may be right according to something Betty said - but I need another perspective," I replied. I was doing everything in my power to be convincing. I knew Libby loved drama. She wouldn't be able to resist.

Just as I'd expected, her eyes lit up; though she still looked wary. "You think so? What did she say?"

I glanced at the watch on my wrist. "We don't have enough time to get into it now, class is about ready to start. You want to meet after school?"

She seemed to be contemplating my question for a few moments. "Sure. I'll help you. But Cindy can't find out about this," she said seriously.

I raised my hands up in a defense move. "I won't be the one to tell her anything. And if you really think she's getting ready to move on...maybe you can delay that course for the time being."

It was Libby's turn to look at me with surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

I just shook my head at her slightly. I was just beginning to sort out the mess of feelings I had for both Betty and Cindy - there wasn't going to be any sort of confession to anyone other than the person I was feeling them for.

"I'm not actually sure. But I know I fucked up."

-0-0-

 **Give me all your thoughts! Theories! Questions! Anything! I do my best to reply to ALL reviews. :)**

 **Links for both Cindy and Libby's dresses are on my profile! Hope you guys like them. And remember you can see all the songs that have inspired me to write this story on my profile, too. I'll leave this up to you guys: do you want me to also show you Betty's dress?**

 **Next chapter: Jimmy thinks more about L-O-V-E and gets a push in the right direction by Libby, the holiday dance is quickly approaching, and Cindy has a confrontation with...someone. Can you guess who? ;) Think outside the box!**


	16. homesick

**Hello! Hope you're all doing well. It's a gloomy and rainy day here in the midwestern US but that's perfect writing weather.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Dangerous**

"We only have an hour until Cindy is done with cheerleading practice and I have to go back to the school to decorate for the dance, so get to talking," Libby declared as she stepped into my room.

This time I wasn't surprised by her presence in my house - considering we'd made plans to talk after school. In fact, I felt more prepared than ever to talk about what I had on my mind.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it, but Betty said something to me the other day that stuck out in my mind."

Libby sat down at my desk. "Did she finally admit that she's secretly a demon using a teenage girl's body as a host?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "No. I asked her if she'd ever lie to me, and she replied by saying she wouldn't lie to me...but she also said she wouldn't ever think of cheating on me either." Libby's face was blank - I'd been expecting a more dramatic reaction, like a gasp or something. "But neither of us said anything about cheating before. Doesn't that seem weird for her to say?"

"Would you have thought it was weird if you hadn't heard Bryan's story?"

I thought about that for a moment. "Probably not, but we also wouldn't have been having that conversation at all."

"True," she nodded. Libby's lack of agreement had me worried that I'd been grasping for straws, looking into words that had no hidden meaning. "Did she say anything else that stood out to you?"

"Not really," I replied, starting to feel a little frustrated. "Why? Do you think I'm crazy?"

Libby stood up abruptly and started to pace around the room a little. "Here's what I think: Betty knows that you're suspicious of her. She's not an idiot. The cheating comment was probably a slip-up, whether or not she even noticed she said it is up for you to find out, if you want."

"Are we just assuming that Bryan's story is true?"

It was her turn to roll her eyes at me. "Let me just humor you for a moment. Even if Bryan's story isn't true, are you truly happy with Betty? Happy enough to stay with her for an indefinite amount of time, possibly FOREVER?"

The way she moving her hands around made me think of Sheen and the passionate way he liked to rant about things. It was clear that he'd been giving her a few tips about making a point during a conversation.

Despite how amusing she was acting right now - I knew I needed to be honest. "No. I don't want to be with Betty anymore."

She smiled at me. "Out of respect for you, I'll pretend I'm not internally jumping for joy right now."

"I appreciate that."

"Anyway - since you already know how you feel about Betty, why does it matter if you know whether or not she cheated on Bryan?"

I shrugged. "For my own peace of mind, I guess. And...I was pretty terrible to Cindy. I'd like a chance to apologize and to be able to say she was right."

"Wow, that was pretty mature of you," Libby said as she sat down again. "Speaking of Cindy-"

"I know what you're going to ask and no, I don't want to talk about it. I need to focus on breaking up with Betty first."

"I was just going to say that she's going to kill me if I'm late," she said with a grin, glancing towards the clock on me wall. "But let's recap: what are you going to do?"

"Talk to Betty. Find out the truth. Break things off with her."

"Sounds good," she said with a nod of approval. She made it all sound so simple. Luckily I knew better than that.

"I think it might be easier said than done."

"You may be right. Don't let her demon abilities overpower you."

As soon as Libby left, I texted Betty urging her to call me. Instead, she replied with a text telling me she was busy getting things ready for the dance. I blew out a frustrated breath even though I'd been expecting her to say something along those lines. I sent a reply asking her to come over later tonight when she had time and luckily, she agreed to it.

I could feel nervous energy starting to build and I knew I wouldn't be able to stand sitting in my house all evening, just waiting for her arrival. I decided to go down to the lab for awhile. Maybe all the nervousness I was feeling could be used for some inventing.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

"Where have you been? You're late," I whispered to Libby as she suddenly popped up next to me. The decorating meeting had already started and Betty was proudly delegating tasks to the meek peasants standing before her.

She gave me a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I was at the library. I lost track of time."

"Since when do you spend time in the library?"

"You look like you haven't slept in days," she said with concern, ignoring my question. I rolled my eyes as we picked up where we left off with the last meeting - since we were the ones who had untangled the lights, we were in charge of putting them around the gym, along with adding tulle around them to give the lights a softer look. It was a more daunting task than we had expected; especially when Libby refused to get on the ladder, claiming she was scared of heights. I was getting used to the feeling ever since I'd started being a cheerleader but I almost too short to hang the lights even while using the ladder.

"Coach has decided to add morning practices because she says we aren't going to be prepared by competition day. I think I've gotten around five hours of sleep in the past three days," I admitted.

"Maybe you're doing too much right now," she said uneasily.

Between morning and afternoon practices, school, decorating for the dance, doing my homework, seeing Meredith, and working - I had approximately five seconds of free time every day. I was tired, but the rigid schedule was working to keep my mind busy. I had no issues falling asleep at night and therefore I was able to think about Jimmy less and less.

I decided to ignore her comment, opting to go up the ladder with some tulle instead. There was no denying that she was right. I was doing too much. The other day, I was curious and stepped on the scale my mother kept in our shared bathroom and realized I'd lost nearly ten pounds without trying. I wasn't super concerned about it, though. It was possible I'd just lost the weight since cheerleading practice was so intense.

A few girls on the squad had been out sick the past few days and it was hard trying to do a choreographed routine with some of the members missing. I considered a few times talking to Coach Kathy and asking her if we could all have a few days off - but I didn't want her to rethink making me co-captain. Besides, Betty seemed fine. There was no way I would let her have any sort of victory over me.

"Those need to go up higher," a voice from below me cut into my thoughts. I glanced down and saw Betty standing near the ladder. "They need to be the same height all the way around."

The urge to mock her in a childish voice was strong but I suppressed the urge. "Got it, boss," I replied sarcastically without looking at her. I could hear Libby stifling a chuckle.

When I looked back down a few moments later, Betty was gone and we were able to continue our task in peace. After we finished, I went straight from school to The Vibe for work. If I was feeling a little run-down before, it was nothing compared to how I felt when I left my shift to go home for the night; it was too late to see Meredith and I still needed to do homework.

I realized my mother wasn't home when I parked my car in the drive, but someone else was already there, parked in the street right in front of my house. The car looked vaguely familiar and so did the person who was behind the wheel. As I got out of my car, so did the other person; that was when I realized that it was Rebecca, William's wife. She must have been waiting on me, which was a pretty risk move considering there was a pretty high chance she could come face-to-face with her husband's ex-wife.

I hadn't seen William at all since our less than pleasant conversation we'd had in his office concerning money and my college plans. I had asked him for help finding Matthew Kelley, but otherwise I refused to make contact. Although I'd grown up with him as my father, he had no qualms about nearly abandoning me to make a new family once he got divorced from my mother and found out I wasn't his biological daughter. It was apparent to me that he wanted to be detached from his old life. The more I thought about the facts and his perspective of the situation the less angry I was at him.

On the other hand, the more I thought about twelve-year-old me, and how vulnerable and sad I felt during that time of my life, the more I wanted to scream at him. It was just easier to ignore his calls. I was too busy to talk to him anyway.

"Cindy, we need to talk," Rebecca said as she got closer to me. I decided to met her halfway and we stood facing each other at the place where my driveway met the sidewalk. It felt a little strange - I don't think I'd ever been alone with her in my life, even though her and William had been together for a few years now.

"Is everything okay?" I asked. Maybe I'd missed something important by not taking any of William's calls.

"I should be asking you that question," she answered, her face holding a very unhappy expression. "For the past few weeks, I've been begging your father to come over and talk to you, since you won't answer any of his calls."

Her voice held that tone all parents used when they wanted to scold their children. I felt annoyed by it since she wasn't even my real parent. "Let me guess: he refused to come over here?"

My sarcastic reply only seemed to make her angrier. "He said he doesn't want to push you. He wants to give you space."

"He's a smart man."

"I don't know what your problem is, but your father has been trying his hardest to spend time with you and you don't seem to care. What happened? We were all getting along so well," she said, her voice getting more emotional by the second.

I could feel my own anger levels starting to rise. "I don't have a 'problem.' If I don't want to talk to him then I don't have to. You don't understand how things are between us."

She crossed her arms. "You need to stop acting so childish. You're not even eighteen yet. Just because you live with your mother doesn't mean you shouldn't spend time with your father. Later in life, you'll regret what you're doing now."

I had no idea why it mattered to Rebecca if I had a relationship with William, or why she thought coming to my house and saying these things would make me do what she wanted - but she was seriously deluded. I found it really odd that she was acting this way. She'd always been nice and friendly towards me in all of our previous interactions.

I thought maybe playing the misunderstood teenager role would help get her off my back. "I'm just having a rough time right now," I said vaguely. Just as I predicted, her face softened considerably.

"Cindy, I know it's hard for you to have parents that don't get along. Trust me when I say your father only wants what's best for you. He loves you very much."

Looking back on this very moment, I know I should have just listened to Rebecca and kept my mouth shut. But what she just said struck a chord inside me and I sort of lost my shit. If William wanted what was best for me, he would've demanded that I knew the truth about him years ago. He would have been honest with me from the beginning. He wouldn't have used his fake father status as means to get out of paying for my college, and he wouldn't have pressured me to keep everything a secret for so long.

And he most certainly did not love me.

In a way, I felt sorry for Rebecca. She didn't know anything that was going on. William had lied to her as much as he had me. In her mind she was trying to fix a family that was falling apart.

"What's best for me?!" I exclaimed. "That's the most fucked up thing I ever heard. He doesn't give a shit about me."

I hadn't meant to curse like that; it had just slipped out. Rebecca really didn't seem to appreciate it. "I don't know what kind of things your mother has been telling you about your father, but I'm sure they are all lies," she said as she narrowed her eyes. "And I can tell that she didn't teach you how to be respectful."

That was the last straw. I didn't always get along with or understand my mother and I was currently angry at her for many things, but that didn't give anyone else the right to insult her.

"If you want to talk about lies, let's get into the ones that William's been telling you for years," I shot back at her. I was being much louder than I needed to be and the whole block could probably hear me. There was definitely some sort of disconnect happening between my brain and my mouth. Words were coming out but I was most certainly not controlling them. It was like my love confession to Jimmy all over again without the alcohol involved. "Which one do you want to start with? I think we should discuss my favorite first: he's not even my real dad."

Rebecca looked horrified, but I was too angry to care.

"He's known that he's not my biological father for almost six years and didn't tell anyone. Not even you - his wife. But I guess he just wanted what was best for everyone, right?" I continued.

"How do I know _you_ aren't lying?" She asked me quietly. I could see tears forming in her eyes.

"I had a feeling you would say that. Ask him yourself and see - although I'm sure he'll just do what he does best and lie to get out of being responsible for his actions."

She started crying in earnest and I could feel little stabs of guilt in my stomach. I looked around and hoped that no one had heard me practically screaming but the entire street as far as I could see was dark and quiet. My heart was beating fast in my ears from adrenaline.

After a few awkward moments of me watching Rebecca try to wipe her tears away, I thought I should say something. "I'm sorry for yelling. You didn't deserve that."

"I should go," she said abruptly. She turned away from me and got into her car, driving away so quickly that I was surprised that her tires didn't squeal in the process.

I was starting to realize how cold it was outside now, and I knew I should probably go inside and do some damage control. Maybe call William and warn him about what I did. It was quite possible that I had just ruined their relationship with my big mouth. Although that was nothing new for me.

My heart started racing again when I thought about my mother - there was no way she wasn't going to find out about this. I didn't think I would be able to handle a huge confrontation with her in the midst of all the practicing I had going on. She was not going to be happy about this.

In other words, I was screwed.

The soft sound of rocky gravel being shifted somewhere behind me made me jump and I turned around quickly. Jimmy was standing a few feet away, looking a little uncomfortable. I could only hope that maybe he'd just gotten home and I just didn't realize it - but something told me that he'd been outside for quite some time now.

"I heard yelling. Is everything okay?" Even with the dim lighting from the streetlights I could see that he was concerned. I wished that I'd gone inside when I had the chance.

"Everything's fine," I said, feeling a little bit like a robot. It was strange to see hear his voice directed at me after going so long without us speaking to each other. I wanted to move but I felt stuck; I wanted to say something significant to him but couldn't form the right words.

He stepped closer tentatively like he was approaching a scared dog. "Are you sure?"

"How much of that did you hear?" I asked. He was standing right in front of me now. I crossed my arms to help ward off the cold and to brace myself for his reply.

"I heard enough," he said quietly, suddenly not looking at me directly in the eye.

I felt humiliated. It was bad enough that I had a falling out with him, and now he knew the one thing I wanted to keep secret. It had been hard enough to tell Libby - it was difficult to talk about something I didn't quite understand myself. Feeling a rush of tears coming on, I pressed both of my hands to my face in an attempt to stop them from falling and to regain a little bit of my dignity.

"Oh, Cindy," I heard him say, before I felt him tug on my wrist lightly. He effectively managed to pull my hand away from my face and pull me into a hug in one fluid movement; his arms felt warm and strong around me. Fortunately, I felt too shocked to cry now. I wasn't expecting this sort of thing to happen, especially since I assumed he hated me.

I wrapped my arms around his middle tightly, slightly afraid he would pull away by me doing so. His breathing was calm and steady. It was almost as if he was the complete opposite of how I felt right now - sad, vulnerable, freaked out. To sum it up, I felt like a hot mess. His hand was running through my hair and I felt compelled to say something, anything. I refrained from doing so only because I knew it would break the moment and I didn't want to go back to how we'd been lately - avoiding each other at all costs.

A few moments later I felt Jimmy freeze, with his hand stopping its soothing motions and his arms going stiff. I pulled back from him and saw that he was looking somewhere behind me. I turned around and saw a pair of headlights at the end of our street that were headed in our direction. We both watched said car get closer and closer until it stopped in front of Jimmy's house.

"Jimmy? What are you doing?" Betty called out as she got out. I rolled my eyes, not surprised that she was ignoring me.

"Have fun with that," I said to him, pulling away from him completely and starting to walk towards my house. I half-expected him to say something in response but I didn't stick around long enough to hear it even if he was going to.

Once I got inside, I went straight upstairs to my room with Humphrey following close behind. I dug around in my closet until I found the jacket Jimmy had given me nearly three months ago when he helped me look for Humphrey when he went missing. I'd had every intention in returning it to him long ago but never really found the right time. At least...that's what I told myself. I put it on even though I felt a little ridiculous while doing so considering I was inside.

I knew I would feel better if I wore it.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Thoughts?! The last moment with Cindy and Jimmy was unplanned...I intended them not have any scenes together until the next chapter but it just happened. Not that I think anyone will be mad about it!**

 **Next chapter: Jimmy's version of what happened in the last scene AND his talk with Betty. Some other crazy shit goes down...prepare yourself for what (I hope) is an exciting and LONG chapter 17! ;)**


	17. all that

**Hello! Thank you so much for the amazing reviews for the last chapter.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's full of drama. Jimmy's POV starts us off!**

 **Dangerous**

It was getting late when I finally left the lab, feeling frustrated and restless. I hadn't done much down there but make a bigger mess of all my equipment and think about my upcoming conversation with Betty. I was starting to think that the latter wasn't going to even happen tonight, considering that I hadn't heard from her in hours and I doubted that she was decorating for the dance this late.

I glanced towards Cindy's house on the way to my front door after hearing the familiar voice of the blonde. She was standing at the end of her driveway with another woman and I could tell they were having a tense conversation.

"What's best for me?! That's the most fucked up thing I ever heard. He doesn't give a shit about me."

I knew I should go inside and mind my own business. I knew that Cindy wouldn't appreciate my eavesdropping, but it was hard to ignore the sound of her voice. I was alarmed by the amount of emotion I could hear as she spoke; she sounded angry and upset. I took a step closer, knowing that they probably wouldn't see me. Half of my yard was shrouded in darkness thanks to a large tree that blocked the streetlight from illuminating it.

I couldn't fully make out the features of the other woman but with my closer view, she did look somewhat familiar. She was talking much quieter, too. I could only make out a few words she was saying and that wasn't enough to follow along with the entire conversation. I couldn't see Cindy's face, but her body language told me enough about how she was feeling. She was clearly on the defense.

"If you want to talk about lies, let's get into the ones William's been telling you for years," I heard Cindy say after the other woman stopped speaking. She was yelling now; I was sure that I would be able to hear her even if I was in my room with the window closed. "Which one do you want to start with? I think we should discuss my favorite first: he's not even my real dad."

I stilled completely with shock as she said that, and so did the woman standing in front of her. Realization dawned quickly. Now I could remember where I'd seen her before - at the restaurant where Betty and I had our first date and Cindy was there with her dad. At least, I'd _thought_ that was her dad.

I obviously still had no clue what was happening, but recent events were starting to make more sense now, like how Libby kept telling me that Cindy was stressed but wouldn't tell me why. How Cindy had showed up to my house for our study session looking like she'd been crying, which was so unusual for the tough girl I'd known for so many years now. Forgetting about an important test, which was something she'd never done before. How every day she looked a little more tired and little more sad than the day before, and I knew that it wasn't just from how she was literally running herself into the ground. She'd been doing that for years anyway.

Over the years I'd been able to begrudgingly admit to myself that I didn't know _everything_. The past few months had actually made that fact pretty clear - I knew next to nothing about girls, especially not the two that had been on my mind almost constantly.

I was so lost in my thoughts I almost missed what Cindy was saying next. "He's known about now being my biological father for almost six years and didn't tell anyone. Not even you - his wife. But I guess he just wanted what was best for everyone, right?"

The silence following that question was thick and uncomfortable even for me, a bystander. The other woman looked distraught and I thought I could hear crying and Cindy saying something else, but the woman got into her car and left without much more fanfare. I waited a long moment waiting for something else to happen, but Cindy didn't move an inch after the woman drove away.

I made a snap decision and started walking straight toward her. She was going to be angry at me for listening but I didn't care. I was worried about her, and even if she wasn't reacting to her situation right now, that didn't mean she wasn't feeling badly about it.

She didn't need to go through all of this alone, either. Not if I could help it.

I had to bite back a curse when my shoe slid on some loose rocks just outside of Cindy's driveway and she jumped at the noise before turning around. Part of me had expected her to be crying but I also knew her better than that. She looked upset but her face was dry and her eyes were bright, almost wild.

"I heard yelling. Is everything okay?" I said softly. Speaking any louder or being aggressive was only going to make her run away from me. I was starting to think that maybe I'd fucked up every serious conversation I'd had with Cindy by pushing her too hard.

"Everything's fine," she said unconvincingly.

I slowly took another step towards her. "Are you sure?"

"How much of that did you hear?" She got right to the point. That was the Cindy I knew. She crossed her arms but for once, she wasn't doing it to show her anger towards me.

"I heard enough," I admitted without spelling it out for her exactly what I knew. She hid her face in her hands and I hoped she didn't start crying - I knew I would say all the wrong things to comfort her. I also hoped she didn't feel as if she had any reason to be embarrassed. There was no way I could judge her for whatever was going on in her life. If anything, I felt bad for not being nicer to her. Deep down I knew that she wouldn't appreciate any type of pity so there was no way I was telling her that.

When she didn't look at me after a few seconds, and I reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a hug while murmuring her name. Instead of pushing me away like I expected her to, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me back as tight as I was holding her.

I ran my hand through her soft hair and we stood wrapped up in each other for a couple minutes, both of us silent. I was surprised she hadn't said anything to break the silence yet. She didn't seem to mind me holding her, and I certainly didn't either. I'd do it as long as she needed me to, or until…

I saw headlights sweep through the trees down the street and didn't think much of it at first before I froze for the second time that night. I'd forgotten all about Betty. And since our neighborhood didn't get a lot of nighttime traffic, I had a feeling that was her driving towards us slowly. Cindy seemed to sense something was wrong and she turned to look down the street too.

As Betty parked in front of my house and got out of the car, calling my name, I caught an eye roll from her. "Have fun with that," she told me dryly, her arms slipping away from me completely. She turned and walked towards her house without another look back, and there wasn't a single part of me that didn't want to be following her instead of staying where I was.

But I knew I needed to talk to Betty and I could feel her staring at me as I watched Cindy go inside.

"Jimmy?" She called out again. "What were you two doing?"

I walked towards her without answering the question. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"

"Not until you tell me why you and Cindy Vortex are practically making out in the middle of the street," she spat at me, and it was then that I realized that this was the angriest I'd ever seen Betty. I wasn't sure what to say to defend myself.

"I don't want to have this conversation outside, Betty. Please?" We stared at each other for several seconds before she finally caved, giving me an eye roll that even Cindy would probably appreciate.

She got back in her car and I followed suit, getting into the passenger seat. I immediately missed the cool night air and didn't feel any less nervous with the confined space we were in. I was almost grateful for how dark it was in the car but I could feel the pressure of her gaze on me, as if her eyes were willing me to speak.

"It's pretty late," I said, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. She picked up on what I was trying to say without actually saying it.

"I had to finish my homework before I came. Something tells me this won't be a short conversation," she muttered.

"Have you been avoiding me?" I asked warily, knowing that this interaction we were having was already headed in the wrong direction.

"No, Jimmy. I've just been busy," she said as she leveled a look at me that said she was fed up. "Why are you avoiding talking about Cindy?"

I couldn't help myself, I laughed. Her eyes widened at my reaction. "I'll tell you what happened with Cindy just now: she's going through something pretty rough, and I gave her a hug because we're friends and that's what friends do." She just looked at me and I knew that she wasn't satisfied with that explanation. "Why have you been avoiding talking about Bryan?"

"I told you before that I didn't want to talk about him because he's in my past," she ground out angrily. "Why do you keep pushing the issue?"

We were going round and round in circles so far and getting nowhere, doing nothing but accusing the other. I sighed. "Remember when you asked me last time we talked if there was something bothering me?" She nodded, suddenly looking sad. "There is something bothering me. It's Bryan. I heard that you were still dating him up until your party in August, Betty. You told me you two broke up sometime in May."

"Who told you that?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Jimmy, you and I were strictly friends until my party, although I did have feelings for you before then. Even if I was with Bryan until August like you said - does that matter in our relationship?" She asked, a desperate tinge sounding in her voice.

At that moment, I knew that there was no way Cindy or Bryan had been lying and that realization hit me like a train. I had good reasons for not trusting Bryan, but Cindy was so smart. If she had believed him, I should have too. She had been trying to warn me all along and I chose the girl I was only dating for a short time period over the girl who had been my friend for years. The girl that loved me. The girl that wanted me to be happy more than anything, even if that meant I didn't end up with her. I already knew that I loved Cindy. I'd known that ever since I'd asked Sheen how he knew he was in love with Libby. Even though I was full of regret for wasting so much time, I knew I was ready.

Hopefully, I hadn't screwed up too much and Cindy would still want me.

"Jimmy?" Betty asked, sounding concerned. I'd been lost in my thoughts a little too long. I glanced quickly towards Cindy's house and saw that the only light on was in Cindy's room. I almost smiled.

"Betty, I understand what you're trying to do but I know what's really happening here. I think you forgot that I'm a genius," I said sarcastically.

"What is it that you think is happening, then?" She asked me quietly, too quiet. She seemed calm but her dark eyes were burning.

"I know you lied to me and you're trying to cover it up. And it _does_ matter that you were Bryan until August," I replied. "You flirted with me all summer. You kissed me at your party. You were technically cheating on him - do you know how shitty that is for both of us?"

Betty made a small noise in her throat in disagreement. "Jimmy, please don't do this."

"Don't do what? Ask for the truth? Don't I deserve to know?"

She put a hand on the steering wheel and her knuckles turned white as she gripped it. "Fine. I was with Bryan the whole time but I wasn't happy. I liked _you_. I told him I wanted to take a break but he showed up to the party anyway. I broke up with him the week after we kissed, Jimmy, I swear."

A week was too long, though. The damage had been done by then and we'd gone on a date during that time period, too. I had been the one to ask but she didn't say no, nor did she think to break up with her current boyfriend beforehand. I ran a hand through my hair and found that I couldn't look at her. I didn't love Betty but I had liked her a lot, and I was still a hurt.

"I can't do this anymore," I told her softly.

Betty grabbed my hand and I looked up at her. Her eyes were now bright with unshed tears. "But I love you, Jimmy. Please don't do this to me."

I was shaking my head before she stopped talking. Libby had been right about Betty all along. Sure, she seemed perfect, but as it turns out...she was the type of person to hide something. The kind and sweet exterior that she'd so carefully constructed around the person she really was had started to crack. I could see everything she'd been hiding now, and it wasn't good.

Of course, everyone had flaws so I couldn't fault her for that. Betty did a good job at hiding hers up until now. I'd gotten the impression that she was a little spoiled and entitled even before this whole mess, and she sometimes acted as if the world owed her something. I had a feeling she believed that if she told me how much she loved me, that I would cave and everything would be okay.

"I'm not happy with how things are, Betty," I said simply. I didn't want to hurt her feelings needlessly even though she'd done a good job at hurting mine. I wanted to say that I wasn't happy with _her,_ but that sounded so cruel in my head that I couldn't bring myself to say it. "I have to break up with you."

She was crying in earnest now, and she said _please I love you_ under her breath again but I got out of the car and went inside quickly. The I love you's that I'd heard from Betty felt emptier than ever, especially since she had never once bothered to apologize for what she had done. As if she didn't feel guilty at all.

I went to bed that night with one goal in mind for the next day: talking to Cindy. Not just talking to her, actually - _apologizing_ for not believing her. It would be hard to do, but I resolved myself with taking any and all insults, snide comments, or funny names she hurled my way. I deserved it all.

Despite everything that had happened, I fell asleep feeling lighter than I had felt in months. I knew I would feel even better if I could find a way to get Cindy to forgive me.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

The day after the confrontation with Rebecca and the weird but nice hug I'd had with Jimmy, I awoke to the sounds of my mother getting ready in the bathroom that was connected to both of our bedrooms. This was unusual for me. I was a deep sleeper and I was accustomed to waking to the sound of the multiple alarms I had to set to keep me from sleeping too late. Most noises didn't affect me.

I still felt drowsy, and in my half-asleep state I had a sudden memory of this exact moment happening before - but it felt more like a dream instead of that odd, unsettling feeling that accompanied deja vu. I remembered being younger, smaller. I remembered waking up to the same sounds of my mother getting ready in the bathroom; brushing her teeth, the shower running, the small clicking sound her compact makeup made when she was done using it. In my memory William was there, and they were both talking in soft voices as to not wake me too early. The comforting sounds would always lull me back to sleep, if just for awhile.

I didn't have many joyful memories of my parents together. Even while they were still married, we rarely shared moments as a family since we all had such busy schedules. They had careers and hobbies and friends and spent little time with their own daughter, let alone each other.

It was sad that all those happy memories, no matter how few and far between, were all tainted with the knowledge that it was never real. Sure, their marriage had been real and up until recently, so had William's fatherhood. Now I couldn't think about the younger version of myself without wanting some sort of redemption for her.

 _Maybe Jimmy will help me go back to the past to warn my past self about everything that's happening now_ , I thought. Since I was still in a sleepy daze, I couldn't help but chuckle at myself and the ludicrous train of thought I'd just had. Even though Jimmy now knew about William not being my real dad, I doubted he would be willing to help me. I was pretty sure he still didn't let anyone from the female race into his lab if he could help it.

I had the image of Jimmy suddenly appearing after Rebecca's hasty exit the night before and I could feel myself waking up fully. I took quick stock of myself before attempting to get out of bed. I was still wearing Jimmy's jacket. I had been cold before going to bed and the slightly heavy jacket had been comforting at the time, but now I felt like I was in a sauna. Not only that, but my throat had a distinct stabbing sensation every time I swallowed and my head was throbbing ever so slightly.

I cursed as I forced myself to roll out of bed. I should've known that after faking getting sick just a few weeks ago the day I went looking for Matthew Kelley that I'd end up getting sick for real as a result of some sort of twisted karma. My stomach churned as I sat up but I just took deep breaths until the feeling went away. Being sick was no big deal - I would take some medicine and suffer through the day like I always did when I felt ill.

All the years that I'd been _strongly_ encouraged to not only be better, faster, and stronger by my mother but to be the best, fastest, and strongest at everything I attempted to do had given me an odd relationship with my body. I didn't like when it failed me or did things I didn't like and being sick was one of those things.

I heard my mother leave the bathroom and a few moments later, I heard her footsteps on the stairs. That was a good thing, because I couldn't hold my nausea back any longer. Luckily I made it to the toilet in time.

I wasn't worried about attending school while sick since all I had to do was sit there and make sure I didn't puke everywhere (although that was harder than it seemed - just ask Nick what happened to his desk a few years ago) but I was certainly wondering how well I would be able to handle cheerleading practice. I was fortunate to not have a morning practice scheduled for today. The thought of doing a cartwheel or being held up in the air wasn't doing anything to settle my stomach. I was also dreading the thought of seeing Jimmy. I hoped he didn't want to talk about what he'd heard last night.

I hoped even harder that he wouldn't tell anyone.

I had no idea if Rebecca was planning on telling William what she knew, but I figured I only had a short amount of time to gather my thoughts before I was confronted by him or worse - my mother. I knew I had things to say, but wasn't sure how to say them yet.

When I finally felt like I wasn't going to puke again, I got up and started getting ready for school despite my entire body protesting. I was equipped with my mother's sense of determination and my fake-father's pretending-everything-is-okay sense of deniability. I could do this.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

By the time lunch rolled around, it became very clear that I could _not_ do this. Holding in puke was harder than I had imagined and I'd had to go the restroom at least once every class period to dry heave in the toilet. I always came back to class but it was getting harder each time. A few teachers gave me odd looks but I was ready to tell them that it was my _time of the month_ if anyone asked me.

Libby, however, could not be fooled so easily. I'm sure she expected me to look rundown since she had commented on it yesterday, but she kept asking me if I was okay and it was getting a little tiring.

"For the last time, I'm fine, Libby!" I insisted. We were sitting at our usual lunch spot and the nerd squad hadn't made their way to the table yet, but I could see that they were almost through the lunch line. I didn't make it a habit to sit in the cafeteria for lunch ever since I'd opened my big mouth and told Jimmy I'd loved him, but today I figured I would appease Libby by joining them.

It was also getting harder to find hiding spots throughout the school. The pesky librarian was notorious for kicking me out during the lunch hour. Sneaking into the teacher's lounge was a favorite hobby of mine, but they had figured out that I was the one who was drinking all their coffee and started utilizing the lock.

I glanced at Jimmy carefully as he sat down across from me, but he didn't look at me. He hadn't acted any different than he usually did all day. Sheen and Carl were busy with their lunches and I took that as a sign that Jimmy had kept his mouth shut.

Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same about Rebecca. I had four missed calls from William since the moment I woke up this morning and I had zero intentions of returning any of them. Not yet, anyway. I had no desire to listen to him yell at me - he didn't really have that right anymore since he wasn't technically my father.

My thoughts were interrupted as Libby leaned forward with her tray in hand, waving it under my nose. I immediately clamped a hand over my nose and mouth as nausea rolled over me in waves.

She glared at me as she set her tray down. "I know school food usually doesn't taste the best, but do you have a sudden aversion to pizza?" Jimmy asked with a slight smile.

"She's sick!" Libby exclaimed as if she couldn't believe no one else knew. I guess I was better at hiding it than I thought. Jimmy's smile turned into a frown and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carl scoot away from me slowly.

I pulled my hand away from my face as the nausea went away. "I'm fine. Do you see me puking all over this table?"

"Ugh, don't talk about puking!" Sheen said grumpily. "You're going to ruin my lunch!"

The rest of the lunch hour was relatively quiet but I could see Jimmy and Libby looking at me every few minutes, as if I were going to suddenly start throwing up right at the table. Eventually I had to leave because they were both starting to annoy me. I could tell that Jimmy was concerned for more than my sudden bout of the stomach flu, and I didn't want to deal with that right now.

By the end of the day, I just felt exhausted and cold. I hoped that the stash of medicine I had with me would work a miracle, although I didn't have high hopes.

I was leaving the gym and dragging my feet towards the locker rooms to change for practice when I saw Jimmy. There was a door near the gym that most students used to get to the parking lot faster, and it was long enough past the last bell that the hallway was completely empty. He was leaning against the wall, and it seemed like he was waiting on someone. I assumed that someone was Betty. I planned to ignore him and go straight for the gym but he apparently had other plans.

"Cindy," he said quietly. I stopped and looked at him against my better judgement. I knew I shouldn't get pulled into another conversation with him that would ultimately end up in an argument, like always. "Are you okay?"

"It's not any less annoying having you ask me that instead of Libby," I said without any real heat behind my words. That was too much effort and my head still hurt.

He smiled at me and looked down. "I just figured I would check. You know you can talk to me right? About anything going on?"

"Uh, actually I don't know that Nerdtron. We haven't spoken to each other very much in the past month and a half," I pointed out.

"So what? We've always had our issues," he said, seeming frustrated. "You and I have always been friends, albeit not the closest sometimes. Are you really saying that you don't think I would be there for you?"

"I'm just saying that friends usually engage in conversation more than once every ninety days," I replied, not bothering to hide the smile threatening to appear on my face. In an attempt to get him out of his odd mood and to keep him from mentioning my dad issues, I was teasing him instead of getting defensive like I tended to do, but that only served to make him angrier.

"If you and I aren't friends, then I wouldn't help you study or look for your dog in the pouring rain. And you wouldn't have warned me about Betty and Bryan if the feeling wasn't mutual," he replied heatedly.

I was shocked by how angry he seemed and I wasn't even sure if that anger was meant for me. By the way he was avoiding eye contact, I would say that it almost seemed like he was angry at...himself. I was also surprised that he had brought up the Bryan and Betty dilemma since he had been so adamant about not believing me. I wanted to ask about it more than anything, I wanted to know if he had confronted Betty, but I decided against it. It wasn't technically my business and I didn't want to get my hopes up for nothing.

"Jimmy, I think I've made it quite obvious just how _mutual_ that feeling is. I told you I loved you and you didn't even talk to me until three days later," I replied and the way his eyes widened and finally met mine in shock was almost comical.

"I didn't know what to say, Cindy."

"Oh I don't know, maybe something that would make me feel _not_ totally stupid for confessing my feelings to you? If we are friends like you say, you could at least let a girl down easy."

"You told me I didn't have to say anything."

"I meant I didn't expect you to say it _back_. Not that you should sit there like a zombie," I shot back, starting to feel a little angry.

"You're so confusing! First you tell me to leave you alone, and then you tell me you love me - while also telling me to leave you alone again. And now you're yelling at me for not talking to you?"

"You don't want to be confused anymore, then? You just want things to be simple between us?" I asked. He looked taken aback for a moment.

"Well, yeah. That would be nice."

"Fine, I'll do my best to make things clear," I said, stepping closer to him. I was suddenly aware that even if we were alone, that didn't mean others weren't listening. It was a little embarrassing to have this conversation in the public eye. Too late for that now. "I don't actually want you to leave me alone. I want you to make a choice, preferably in my favor."

"A choice?"

"Between Betty and I. And I want you to choose me, Neutron."

He just stared at me, silent and wide-eyed, and I felt foolish all over again. This time I couldn't blame alcohol or run away. I was aware that I was possibly ruining a friendship with someone I really cared about - or at least, I was ruining it even further than it already was.

"Cindy, I'm so sorry. I need to tell you that-"

Kathy's booming voice entered the hallway somewhere behind me. "Vortex, you're sort of an essential part of this team. Get in here so we can start practice."

I stared at Jimmy for another second, but I knew the moment had been broken. He was just staring at me, but as if he had something to say for once. I turned around and headed towards the gym doors, feeling dizzy. Kathy was standing there in the doorway, waiting for me.

I thought I heard her mutter something about crazy teenagers as I passed by her on my way to the locker room, but I wasn't sure. The rest of the squad was already dressed so I assumed the locker room was empty. I changed quickly and was about to go back into the gym when I heard the lock unlatch from the lone bathroom stall that was in the far corner. Betty stepped out and started glaring daggers as soon as she saw me.

Great.

Even from across the room, I noticed something was off about her. She looked a little green and I connected the dots in my head quickly. "You're sick, aren't you?"

She scoffed at me as she washed her hands. "Mind your own business, Vortex."

I bristled a little at her tone. "I was just going to say that maybe we should tell Coach. I'm not feeling so hot, either. Maybe she will cancel practice."

"Maybe _you_ should tell Coach. I'm perfectly fine." I sighed and she turned around to glare at me again full force. "But I would be better if you could keep those grimy hands of yours off my boyfriend," she continued. If looks could I would most definitely be dead. I hoped she was talking about the mostly-innocent hug Jimmy and I had shared last night and not anything else, not that there was any evidence of him actually cheating on her with me.

"Don't talk to me like that, Quinzilla. I was friends with Neutron long before you stepped in and started turning him into one of your little minions."

She laughed humorlessly. "Friends, sure. I'm sure the kiss you two shared at my party was just a friendly one."

"You two weren't even dating then. And it was just a game."

"We might not have been dating but you knew I liked him. You just couldn't stand the thought of me taking him away from you. That's always been your problem, hasn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I had no idea what she was talking about and I realized that Betty wasn't just a bitchy girl with an innocent, demure cover-up personality. She was smarter than I gave her credit for but she was also certifiably crazy.

"You're an absolute psycho," I said while inching towards the door. It was her turn to bristle at the name I had called her. "Next time you find a guy you like maybe you should try breaking up with the one you're with first. Might save everyone a lot of heartbreak."

Her eyes lit up with anger and recognition, and I knew in that moment that Bryan hadn't been lying about what he told me; although I wasn't doubting it before. She pointed a finger at me and narrowed her eyes. "I didn't say a single word when you started hanging around my ex-boyfriend. But that wasn't good enough for you, was it? You wanted everything that I had - whether it be Bryan, Jimmy, or team captain of this squad. I should've known you were the one that told Jimmy all those lies about me being a cheater. I hope you're happy with yourself."

I guess I didn't need to ask Jimmy if he confronted Betty or not; she had just given me the answer herself. Judging by her words, it hadn't gone well, either.

"If it's all lies then you wouldn't be defending yourself like this," I said simply, and with that I opened the door and stepped back into the gym. The skeleton crew that made up our squad were already starting their warm ups. I started feeling dizzy again at the thought of engaging in any type of exercise. Of course, Betty was on my heels.

She stopped me by standing directly in front of me, too close for my comfort. "Just for the record, Jimmy is still mine even we aren't dating anymore. If I ever hear about or see you two together, you'll be sorry."

Betty walked away, satisfied with herself and probably believing that she had scared the living wits out of me. I wasn't concerned with her exiting comment. I'd always said that she didn't scare me and that was still true. I was more focused on the fact that Jimmy and Betty were no longer dating.

I was so focused on it, in fact, that I forgot to talk to Coach before practice. I wasn't sure if she would sympathize with me for being sick. I didn't want to seem weak but the dizziness that had settled into my brain was getting worse with each passing routine and I was sincerely regretting my own pride. I noticed a few of the other girls looked queasy too, including Betty and Jamie.

I told myself it would be okay, though. Practice would be ending soon. Maybe I could skip the dance meeting to go see Meredith, or to talk to Jimmy and find out what really happened between him and Betty. He had wanted to talk to me, after all. I just hoped that he would still be willing after I had nearly forced him into an ultimatum less than an hour ago.

I was still focused on things other than cheerleading when I was doing my first lift of the day, and I was ignoring the little black spots in front of my eyes that wouldn't go away. I was also trying not to think about how cold Betty and Jamie's hands were - I was pretty sure I had a fever again.

All focus was broken the minute I was up in the air, suddenly feeling too weak to even lift my arms and follow Kathy's instructions. I made the mistake of looking down and the dizziness only got worse. Thinking about this incident later on, it would be hard to determine just one factor to blame it on. It could've been the combined sickness that nearly everyone on the squad had, or the incorrect posture I'd sported while being lifted. Some might say that we should've been standing on a mat or using a spotter, but this was a move we had done a million times. We were confident in our abilities.

I would blame it on timing.

Whatever was to blame, I was secretly grateful that I hadn't eaten anything all day. I guess Jamie wasn't so lucky, and she quite literally puked while still holding me up in the air, adding another factor to blame: taking your eye off the flyer. In fact, everyone had taken their eyes off me and even though Jamie was a trooper and hadn't let go of my leg - as gross as that was - her grip wasn't so strong, and neither was Betty's.

I was falling backwards the next second thanks to the final factor: losing my balance. I knew I was taking the other two girls with me but there was nothing to hold onto, nothing to stop myself with and besides - their feet were already on the ground. The hard, laminated wooden ground that I would soon be landing on without anything to cushion the fall. I was acutely aware of how I was gaining momentum rapidly and one of my last thoughts before hitting the ground was _it sure is taking forever to fall_ and then there was intense pain as soon as I landed, maybe the worst I'd ever felt. I remember that someone screamed and not knowing who it was. The pain was everywhere and so I wasn't sure how I'd even landed.

I didn't know how much time passed between the air and the ground but everything disappeared slowly, like the feeling of being put under anesthesia before surgery. And because life is sometimes funny but almost always cruel, in the same hour that I'd learned that Jimmy and Betty had _finally_ broken up and I felt that I had a small reason to celebrate - I had taken a literal hard stumble and felt my dream of Princeton slip away at the exact same moment.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Okay...don't kill me. Everything will be okay. I PROMISE. Cindy is THAT bitch, if you know what I mean. You can't keep her down for long.**

 **I worked reaaaally hard on this, because it contains so many pivotal moments for this story, and it would mean so much to me if you reviewed! I'm not the type of person to beg for reviews - but your feedback is so appreciated and motivates me to write faster!**

 **Next chapter: Jimmy still owes Cindy an apology, some hard truths come out about Cindy's family, and MUCH MORE.**


	18. she used to be mine

**Wow, you guys really came THROUGH with the reviews. I'm so happy! You're all so kind and funny. Writer's block who? I've got motivation in spades lately. Let's hope the feeling never leaves.**

 **The angst is strong in this one but hey, that's what I like to write. This story will have a positive and happy ending.** **Jimmy's POV is up first.**

 **Dangerous**

After the dissatisfying conversation I'd had with Cindy after school I was less than enthused about being sociable. All I really wanted to do was go home and hibernate for awhile, but Sheen and Carl convinced me to help them with upcoming exams at The Vibe. I agreed to it after about ten minutes of them heckling, bribing, and threatening me and there was always a chance that Cindy would be working after practice, so it wasn't a terrible thing for me to go.

I'd had every intention to apologize to Cindy and set things straight, but instead I got wrapped up in my own emotions. The fact that she was clearly teasing me at one point was a good sign - that at least meant she wasn't as mad at me as I had previously believed.

I already knew I deserved any amount of teasing she wanted to dish out towards me. It was better than the silent treatment any day. Something about talking to her after radio silence for the past few weeks had me feeling nervous and I knew that it was possible (actually, it was very likely) for me to screw everything up with her.

A couple hours passed by slowly as the three of us sat in the coffee shop and I was starting to feel disappointed. It didn't look like Cindy was going to be working today, but my head still turned at the sound of the bells jingling every time someone went through the door of the shop. Sheen and Carl were starting to give me questioning looks, but I ignored them.

The bell went off again and this time I saw Libby walk through the door, which wasn't anything to be surprised about. She was headed straight for us and as she got closer I realized by looking at her face that something was wrong.

"I need one of you to drive me to the hospital," she said breathlessly as she stopped next to our table. Her eyes were wide and full of panic.

Sheen stood up immediately, clearly alarmed, and in the process knocked half of our books onto the floor, papers going everywhere. People around us were starting to stare.

"What's wrong?!" He asked. "Are you hurt?"

Libby shook her head and held a finger up to us as she paused to catch her breath. I noticed she was clenching a set of car keys in her hand. "I'm fine. But my car has a flat tire and I knew you guys would be here so I ran all the way here and just _left_ my car like, five blocks away and it's so damn cold outside-"

Sheen looked like he was ready to pull his hair out and Carl sent me a concerned look. It looked like we were going to have to be the calm, collected ones right now to help them. Carl turned to Sheen and told him to help him pick the books up, which he surprisingly agreed to, although he was making more of a mess than there was before.

I put a hand on Libby's arm to stop her rambling. "Libby, it'll be okay. I can drive you to the hospital if that's what you want and then we can call someone for your car. Can you tell me what's wrong though? Sheen might be having an aneurysm."

I was hoping that would make her laugh despite whatever circumstances that were going on, but she didn't even crack a smile. Her next words made my heart drop all the way to my stomach in an unpleasant fashion.

"It's Cindy. She fell during practice, or someone dropped her, or something. But I think it was bad. They had to call an ambulance."

I tried not to let my own panic and worry show on my face because I'd already told myself that I would remain calm to help Libby, but I didn't think it was working. Carl repeated what Libby said to Sheen, who was still frantically picking up the papers around us, and he stopped in his tracks to look at me. The news was hard to hear even a second time, and we all made quick work of our belongings and left The Vibe while several people still stared at us.

And even though we'd taken my car to the coffee shop, I didn't argue when Carl took the keys from me and drove. I didn't realize until then how badly my hands were shaking.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

The first thought I had while I was waking up in what felt like an unfamiliar bed was _damn_. The next thought was _I really did like cheerleading_.

My head was throbbing, so I kept my eyes shut. Something told me I wouldn't be happy if I opened them. I didn't feel quite right, like I was floating or sinking, I couldn't tell which. I knew that I was sick. I could remember puking, the smell of pizza, and cold hands. There was a soft beeping noise near my head and it was quite annoying. _Must be my alarm,_ I thought. Funny how this was the second night in a row that I couldn't remember getting into bed and falling asleep. I thought about opening my eyes to shut the alarm off but I was too tired, and so I fell back asleep.

 _I really did like cheerleading_ ran through my head the next time the beeping registered in my brain. I was unsure about it at first, with all the bullshit team spirit and fake smiling involved, but it was actually fun. I liked running and cartwheels and despite having to work alongside Betty, the rest of the squad was welcoming and fun. Fake smiling wasn't so bad after awhile. I knew all the words to every cheer and Coach really seemed to like me. If a career in the sciences like I'd always planned didn't work out for me, I could always turn back to cheerleading. I could probably be a coach myself. Who needs Princeton anyways?

A distinct feeling of sadness ran through me but I wasn't sure why, or why I was even thinking about cheerleading right now. I was probably late for school - why hadn't my mom woken me up by now? The beeping was only getting louder and with my headache getting easier to ignore, I decided I'd had enough time to sleep and opened my eyes slowly. Immediately, I realized why everything felt off.

I was in the hospital.

My mother had been sitting next to my bed, her face entirely too close to my own, and she gasped the moment my blurry vision took her in. Her eyes were red and she looked tired. She pressed a button next to the bed rapidly and said something to me about getting a flu shot next time, but I didn't know what she was talking about.

Even with vision that wasn't completely clear and a brain that was slightly fuzzy, I could tell that whatever was going on was not good. There was an IV in my right hand and the left one was trapped inside of what I assumed was a sling and was snug against my chest. No, this was not good at all.

I had really liked cheerleading, but I had a feeling my short-lived career in doing stunts was over.

My mother was still talking and I had been mostly ignoring her. A doctor and nurse appeared in my room seemingly out of nowhere, and she directed her attention to them instead. The doctor walked past her towards me and smiled down at me. "Nice to see you looking more alert, Cynthia. How are you feeling?"

"Cindy," I said, my voice sounding rough to my own ears. I realized with dismay that my throat was still sore and my mouth was incredibly dry.

"Excuse me?"

"You can call me Cindy."

The doctor chuckled and introduced himself as Dr. Manning. My mother settled herself into the seat next to my bed again and busied herself with smoothing down my hair. I noticed that she carefully avoided the left side of my head completely.

"Are you in any pain, Cindy?" Dr. Manning asked kindly.

"Yes, a little. What happened? Why don't I remember anything?" I asked in a panic. Truthfully, my head was hurting and my arm was hurting even more, but I was afraid of taking any sort of medicine before getting any answers.

"I don't want you to worry, that is a normal side effect for a concussion like you have. Your memory of what happened might come back in a few days, or it may always remain fuzzy. Only time will tell," he said, and the soft tone of his voice wasn't comforting to me like it was so obviously trying to be.

I must have still looked confused, because my mother was quick to elaborate. "You fell during a lift at practice, dear. You landed on your arm but hit your head, too."

I closed my eyes, trying to remember, but all I could think about was cold hands around my leg and the throbbing in my head. "Is my arm broken?"

"Luckily, you landed on the side of your arm rather than using it to catch your fall like most people would. Your coach informed me that you fell backwards. I believe that is why your concussion was so severe. You fractured your clavicle. Surgery won't be needed as long as you keep it immobile in a splint until it heals," he leveled a serious look at me. "It may not feel like it right now, but you're a lucky girl, Cindy. You could've landed on your leg or wrist and snapped a bone or hurt your spine."

"You're right. I don't feel very lucky," I said miserably. The lights were too bright in the room; forcing me to squint. He let out a small chuckle at my words. "What time is it? Oh god, what day is it?"

"It's almost eight pm, Cindy. You fell a few hours ago," My mother assured me, and I was relieved to know that I wasn't missing a huge chunk of time, even if that's what it felt like.

"You also have a pretty nasty case of influenza," Dr. Manning said.

"I knew that already," I replied. Everyone in the room looked at me funny.

"Half of the cheerleading squad is sick right now."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you in private, Ms. Vortex," the doctor said to my mother somewhat stiffly. "Cindy, the nurse will be here to take your vitals. Rest is what you need to feel better. Sleep combined with medicine and fluids will have you feeling much better. I'll be back soon to talk to you some more."

He shuffled my mother off to the hallway and I suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Am I allowed to use the bathroom?" I asked the nurse that was checking my IV and she jumped at the sound of my voice.

"Yes, but you need to be careful to keep from jostling your arm. I'll help you," she said, and helped me sit up.

I realized that the daunting task of moving the pole of fluids connected to my hand and having a nurse follow me to the bathroom while being in extreme pain would leave me no time or focus for eavesdropping on the conversation happening in the hallway.

"I think I need to take a quick break," I said honestly to the nurse as she sat me up, and she nodded understandingly. "Can I please get some ice chips?"

The distraction worked, and I grabbed the pole that had already been moved to a convenient spot and walked slowly towards the door. I was grateful that only taking a few steps let me listen in.

"Are you sure your daughter wasn't on a diet? Did you notice if she was restricting her calorie intake, or even purging her food?" The doctor was saying.

"I'm not sure why you're asking me this," I heard my mother reply angrily. "You just told me she has the flu. Being sick can make anyone lose weight."

"Having the flu for a few days wouldn't cause an otherwise healthy teenager to lose over ten pounds in such a short time, Ms. Vortex. Your daughter was nearing underweight for her height and age when she had her physical six months ago so it's alarming from a medical standpoint to see that she's lost so much weight," the doctor stated calmly. "It's okay if you don't know what's going on, but we can work on asking her about it together, if you'd like."

He was saying something else, but I didn't feel so great. I went back to the bed and sat down. I hoped the nurse would hurry. Going to the bathroom could wait a little while longer. A few ice chips and a big dose of whatever pain meds they had me on would be enough to forget this entire nightmare.

-0-0-0-0-0-

I woke up again later on to a darkened, much quieter room - and this time I really did have to use the bathroom. Once again, when I opened my eyes, my mother was staring at me. I found this a little odd because I could tell that it was late at night now and she should be sleeping.

"Can you help me up or do we need a nurse?" I asked her, and she didn't answer. Instead she helped me sit up and I made it to the bathroom with her assistance. As I was settling back in the bed several minutes later, she finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Cindy."

"For what?" I asked, confused. She sniffled a little. This was very unnerving. I'd only seen my mother cry a few times in my life, and that was only because I'd caught her doing it. I had a feeling she would do anything to keep herself from looking weak - even in front of her own daughter.

I could to relate to that feeling.

"I know that I push you harder than most parents, but I thought I was helping you, not hurting you."

I knew that she was referring to the conversation she'd had with the doctor and was most likely feeling guilty. As far as my weight was concerned, I was probably just as much at fault as she was. I never paid attention to my weight, but I regularly skipped meals and had coffee instead. I didn't sleep enough or listen to my body when it told me I was tired. I exercised a lot and didn't eat the right amount of calories to sustain my weight, so I assumed that was why I had lost so much.

I told her all of this in a matter-of-fact tone, because I didn't like that was blaming herself. Instead of alleviating her obvious guilt, she started crying harder and I stared on in horror, unsure what it was that I'd said wrong.

"I have instilled so many bad habits in you, don't you see, honey?" She said sadly. "You've never been overweight, not even close. I was too tough on you."

"Mom, really. I didn't even realize I'd lost any weight. But I'm fine," I insisted.

"The doctor thinks you've been dieting but I know you better than that," she continued. "I never should've said anything about what you eat or didn't eat."

"You just wanted me to be the best cheerleader on the squad," I replied. "I wanted that for myself too."

"Well, sure I did. But I think we've both sacrificed your health and happiness because of it."

I was speechless at that, so I just let her cry softly and hold my hand until she felt better or I fell asleep again - I wasn't sure what would come first. At this point I had a feeling that I'd missed an important aspect of the conversation between my mother and Dr. Manning, but I'd have to ask about that later. My head was starting to pound in the same beat as my heart, and it felt like my entire body was thrumming with pain. There was a small white button connected to a string next to my bed and I knew that could mean either _medicine_ or _nurse_ so I pressed it.

I was suddenly starving.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

I wasn't sure what time we'd gotten to the hospital, but I knew it had to be around seven o'clock. That was nearly two hours after Cindy's ambulance had arrived at the hospital.

Libby channeled her best friend and bullied everyone at the nurse's station until they broke down and told her that _yes_ , Cindy Vortex was still alive and breathing, but that was all the information she would be getting since she wasn't family. I had the distinct feeling we'd be kicked out of the waiting room soon if Libby kept up the aggressive attitude so Sheen finally talked her into sitting down and she busied herself with a magazine. She was flipping the pages so loudly that they kept ripping, and Carl was watching her warily out of the corner of his eye.

"Can't you call Betty and ask her exactly what happened?" She asked suddenly, startling all of us. She was staring right at me.

I coughed nervously into my hand. "Uh, that's probably not a good idea," I said slowly.

"Why not? Don't you want to know?" Sheen asked.

"Of course I do," I said quickly. "But I broke up with Betty last night. I don't think she would appreciate me asking her about Cindy right now."

The three of them stared at me, silently, for so long that I thought maybe I had spoken another language without realizing it. After a few minutes, Sheen blinked and cracked a smile at me. "It's about damn time."

Sheen and Carl launched into a full discussion about who would win in a physical fight Betty vs. Cindy style and Libby was rolling up her magazine to hit both of them with it when I saw a familiar person standing near the front desk. I didn't know her personally but I knew she was my age and more importantly, she was wearing a cheerleading uniform.

I lightly kicked Libby and gestured towards the girl. We were both up and out of our seats in the next second, walking towards the desk. The girl's eyes widened when she saw us, but that was all we could see since she was wearing a surgical type mask over her mouth.

"Isn't your name Jamie?" Libby asked and the girl nodded. "Is everything okay?"

"I have the flu," Jamie said, her words slightly muffled around the mask. "I threw up at practice and my parents made me come here, and then they made me put this ridiculous thing on."

"You were at practice today? So you know what happened with Cindy?" I asked quickly. Libby nudged me in the ribs and I realized I was probably being rude.

I don't think either of us were expecting what happened next. Jamie promptly burst into tears at the sound of Cindy's name, and she was trying to speak but it was impossible tell what she was saying now. A woman that had been standing at the desk that I assumed was her mother turned around in alarm, and they were both hurriedly shuffled behind some official looking doors by a nurse.

"Great, you broke her," Libby deadpanned. I sighed, feeling like an idiot.

"Why do you think she started crying?" I asked as we made our way back to our seats. The woman sitting at the front desk, who Libby had already yelled at a few times, was glaring at us.

"Who knows? Maybe she was traumatized by the incident," Libby said. Her words were playful but her tone wasn't. It was quite possible that she _was_ at least a little traumatized.

Another hour passed and I couldn't stop from jiggling my leg; a nervous habit I'd never had before tonight. Libby was adamant on not leaving until she got some information, no matter how late it got. She was confident that we'd run into Cindy's mom or dad if we waited long enough. I tried not to cringe at hearing her mention her father and wondered if she knew what I'd heard the night before.

If Carl and Sheen were getting bored, neither of them showed it _too_ much. Carl was nearly ready to fall asleep and Sheen had struck up a conversation with the elderly woman sitting near us.

I was getting so tired and anxious with waiting and had begun to contemplate actually contacting Betty when I saw Ms. Vortex appear through the official looking doors, stopping at the front desk for a moment before walking off down a different hallway. Libby and I left Sheen and Carl to their own devices and followed her to where she was standing before a line of vending machines that were all humming together in harmony with power.

I was almost afraid to disturb her. She looked tired and sad but didn't seem to be upset, so that had to be good. The fact that she seemed to be so deep in thought might not have been, but Libby gently cleared her throat and Cindy's mother looked at us, recognition lighting up her face.

"Oh, Libby, hello," she said before glancing at me with an unreadable expression. "James. I didn't know you two were here."

"We've been in the waiting room for awhile, Ms. Vortex. Is Cindy okay?" Libby asked quietly. The older woman sighed and made a show of slowly unwrinkling a dollar bill and inserting it into one of the machines standing before her.

"Cindy will be just fine," she answered as she punched a button. A package of skittles fell to the bottom of the machine and I almost smiled. I knew those were Cindy's favorite. "She's feeling a little loopy and they are keeping her overnight for observation, but she's always been a tough girl."

I had never been around Cindy's mom much over the years, but I was starting to understand where Cindy's sometimes flippant attitude came from. Despite the emotion in her eyes, Ms. Vortex's face was devoid of any expression and she seemed to be in complete control of herself considering she was in the midst of what had to be a stressful situation.

"All we know is that she fell," I said suddenly. Libby seemed okay with leaving the conversation at that. While I was relieved to know that Cindy was going to be fine, I wanted to know the whole story. "Do you know what happened?"

"It was hard to get all the details out of Cindy's coach with the way she was blubbering and apologizing. But nearly every girl on that squad, including Cindy, has the flu," Ms. Vortex said dryly. "One girl even puked during practice. They were lifting Cindy and she fell backwards. She has a concussion and a fractured collarbone, but luckily she won't be needing surgery. She doesn't remember what happened."

Libby and I had shared a look at the part about the girl puking during practice. That had to be Jamie. I'd also thought that knowing the exact nature of Cindy's condition would make me feel better and not worse, but I was wrong about that.

"Can we go see her?" I asked, my voice sounding rougher than I'd intended.

Ms. Vortex gave me a sad smile and put a hand on both mine and Libby's shoulders tentatively. "I know you're worried about her but Cindy is still sick, and I don't want either of you to get it. She's sleeping now anyways."

I was feeling intensely disappointed now. Somehow I'd expected her to say yes. She grabbed the skittles and shook them, chuckling. "She might be feeling better now, though. She's been begging me to get her a snack." A hesitant look came upon her face suddenly. "This is embarrassing, but do you either of you know what else she'd like? I have a feeling she wouldn't appreciate anything from the cafeteria."

Libby eagerly picked out a few things and spoke up before Ms. Vortex could leave, "She'll be able to come home tomorrow? And then we can see her?" We were happy to see her nod.

"Can you tell her that we came to see her? That we hope she feels better?" I said, feeling uncertain and sort of awkward but the look on both of their faces reassured that it hadn't been the wrong thing to say.

"Of course I will. You two get out of here. You have school tomorrow."

She left us then, and I caught Libby looking at me curiously. "What?" I asked defensively.

"Don't play dumb with me. You're in love with my best friend, aren't you?"

I didn't have to answer that question, because a short second later she was smiling at me widely and walking away, forcing me to follow her.

I guess the expression on my face was all she needed.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

By morning, I was tired of everything. Tired of the hospital, the uncomfortable bed, the huge bump I was sporting on my head, the way the doctor kept looking at me like I was crazy, and the sling I had to wear 24/7. I wanted Humphrey, my own bed, and some company besides my neurotic mother.

But alas, it was only seven am and I had a few more hours before I could go home.

Surprisingly, my mother was nowhere to be found when I awoke. It'd been around five hours since my last dose of pain medicine and my mind was the clearest it'd been in awhile, but I still couldn't quite remember how I fell. I didn't mind, though. There'd been enough witnesses that I was sure to have the whole thing recounted to me soon enough. Unfortunately, my clear mind wasn't the only side effect I had - my head and arm and shoulder were all killing me. The good thing was that I didn't feel sick anymore. I wasn't sure if that even mattered considering the situation I was in.

My mother slipped into my room quietly, but smiled at me as she saw that I was awake. She handed me yet another package of candy and I took it gratefully. I wasn't sure how long her guilt and feeding fest would go on, but I sure wasn't complaining.

"You had some visitors last night. They wanted to see you but you were asleep." I asked who it was around a mouthful of gummy worms. "Libby was here, of course, but so was that neighbor of ours. Jimmy Neutron."

My heart skipped a beat but I didn't react in any other way to avoid the inquisition. "That was nice of them," I said quietly. "Did they say anything else?"

"He wanted me to make sure you knew that they were thinking of you and hope you feel better soon," she replied casually, but she was watching me closely. Her use of the word _he_ didn't slip by me. I just smiled at her and felt warm all over, wishing that I had my phone so that I could at least tell both of them myself that I was okay.

A knock sounded at the door, and my mother jumped up. "That must be the doctor." She went to open it, but Dr. Manning wasn't the one who knocked.

It was Meredith.

My mind started racing, which caused my headache to grow stronger, and I instinctively searched for the button that administered medicine through my IV before remembering that a nurse had removed it a few hours ago. I was only going to be taking medicine orally from here on out.

I had no idea how Meredith knew I was here or why she was visiting, but this was not a good situation. My mother didn't know about my fights with William or about the search for my real dad. She'd been clueless about everything and that was all about to be ruined. I felt trapped.

Meredith was smiling happily and I realized that I'd missed her. She took one look at me and her eyes went sympathetic. "Can we help you?" my mother asked, her voice sounding a little off.

"I need to talk to your daughter, Sasha," the older woman said simply, and charged right into the room. She settled herself into the chair next to my bed and my mother and I just stared at her with slack jaws, both of us confused for possibly different reasons. Meredith just merely glanced at my shocked mother. "Perhaps you could give us a minute or two? It's the least you could do."

That set my mother into action, but it wasn't the action I expected. She took a deep breath and gave both of us a hard look, and then left, shutting the door behind her.

My eyes moved from the door to the woman sitting next to me. "What the hell was that?"

"Language, dear. That's no way to speak to a little old lady," she said while winking at me.

"How did you know I was even here?"

"I got a little worried when I hadn't seen you for several days and made a few calls. Let's call it intuition," she replied mysteriously.

This day was getting weirder by the minute.

"Does my mom remember you? What did you mean by 'it's the least you could do'?" I knew I was asking a lot of questions and not giving her a chance to answer any of them, but I couldn't help myself.

"Cindy, there's something I need to tell you," Meredith said seriously. I sat up a little straighter in the hospital bed even though it was difficult to do so with one arm.

"Is everything okay?"

"Of course. But I need to tell you a story," she took a deep breath. "Your mother and Matthew Kelley dated in high school - you already knew that from their picture in the yearbook. But there's a lot of history behind that picture that I've known about for quite some time that I haven't told you."

"What kind of history?"

"Whatever happened between your mother and Matthew is a mystery to me - you'll have to ask her if you want to know. I know your mother met your father very soon after they broke up and got married, and then she had you," she said slowly.

Reaching down and into a giant bag that I hadn't even seen on her lap until now, she pulled out a photo album. She opened to the first page and several pictures of the same man I'd seen in my mother's prom pictures stared back at me. Matthew Kelley.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I whispered, but I already knew. Tears were forming behind my eyes.

"My full name is Meredith Kelley. Matthew was my son," Meredith answered. She was gazing at the pictures and didn't look up at me.

" _Was_?!"

She finally looked me in the eye. "Matthew died in a car accident almost ten years ago. Hit by a drunk driver."

I felt like I couldn't breathe. "I need you tell me whether or not he's my real father, Meredith. I need to know."

"Your mother insisted on telling Matthew and I that William was your father for a very long time. She had us both convinced that what she had was real and my son and I were crazy," she said while shaking her head. "Now I know she was just trying to convince herself. I think deep down he always knew that you were his daughter. Even if there was no solid proof. He didn't want to disrupt a happy family by getting it, either."

I wanted to tell her that my family hadn't been happy in a long, long time. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't know how. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't intervene before you were eighteen. But when you showed up at my door, I couldn't turn you away. You look like him, you know. I know that's no excuse, but you're so young. I didn't want to hurt you. In the end, I know that it's not my place to tell you the truth. But your mother has always been so bad at being honest."

Maybe it was the way she was crying, the amount of pain medicine I had taken, or the amazing way she'd been treating me these past few weeks since I met her, but I didn't feel angry. Not at her, anyway. I wasn't sure if there was any specific person to blame in this situation...except maybe my own mother.

I was tremendously sad - it was like going through the feeling of loss and realization that William wasn't my real dad all over again, but somehow worse. I'd finally found what I was looking for. I'd finally uncovered all of the lies and stories. There he was, my biological father, right under my nose.

"It's okay," I said, feeling the need to comfort her as she cried. My words and tone of voice sounded hollow even to my own ears, and despite how hard I was trying to disassociate myself from what was happening, I could feel tears running down my own face.

I was never going to meet my real dad.

"I realize now that I was being selfish. Matthew was my only child and he never married or had children again. My husband passed away several years ago. In my heart I know you're my granddaughter. I thought telling you that he had passed away would mean you would stop visiting me."

"I guess that explains why you sort of felt like the grandmother I never really had," I said, and we let out both a small laugh, which broke up the tension a little. We were quiet for a minute, and my eyes were starting to droop. I was doing my best to fight it - I intended to ask every question under the sun about Matthew. I had the next best thing to my real dad sitting next to me, after all: my grandmother.

We looked through the photo album for a several long minutes before a knock at door came before Dr. Manning walked, my mother on his heels. She took a look at my face and the photo album I was holding and her face crumpled. If I weren't so angry at her, I would almost feel bad for what I was about to do next.

I couldn't look her in the eye when I asked Dr. Manning if he could do some DNA testing.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Just a quick FYI: when the father is not available for paternity testing, the closest living relative will most likely work instead!**

 **I did real research about clavicle fractures and concussions so MOST of this information is accurate...it's all basic info anyway, so it's not a huge deal. I've also never broken a bone so I'm guessing with my description of her fracture; but I've had surgery and have been in a cast before so I'm assuming the two are similar.**

 **An update for my other story will be next - so for those that read The Crown, don't worry. I'll find a way to make it up to you guys for skipping an update. ;)**

 **Next chapter: Cindy and her mother finally talk, and so do her and Jimmy...finally.**

 **Please review!**


	19. after the storm

**Hello! It doesn't feel like it's been over a week since I updated this story. It feels like it's only been a day or two!**

 **Seriously, you guys are killing me with the reviews lately - I wanna cry with how nice you all are! Specifically I want to thank the anonymous reviewers who I can't send a personal message to: thank you so much. :)**

 **Today we start with Cindy's POV. Enjoy!**

 **Dangerous**

Results to the DNA testing I had asked for was going to take at least 3 days - if not more considering the lab would be closed for the entire upcoming weekend. That was a long time to wait for something that felt so important. After Meredith agreed to the testing, I forced my mother to call William so we could do another one, although I knew it wasn't really necessary. He wasn't my father and I knew that. I just wanted everything official and in writing, no more guessing or lying.

William had already been on his way to the hospital when my mother called him, and when he arrived to my room was when things started to implode, just a few hours before I was supposed to go home.

He started yelling about not being informed that his own daughter was in the hospital, and I had said something along the lines about not being his real daughter. Five minutes later, we were all screaming at each other with Meredith looking on, a horrified expression on her face. I didn't blame her for being freaked out.

An intervention with a few nurses and a couple threats directed towards my parents about calling hospital security and child protective services shut us all up and once the tests were taken, William left without another word. I wasn't sure if I would ever see him again and I didn't quite know how to feel about it.

Tears had slowly started to leak out of my eyes sometime during my conversation about my real dad with Meredith - which was normal for someone who cried like a regular person. I tried not to cry unless I was alone, and even then I avoided it. To my dismay, the crying just wouldn't stop. I had tears rolling down my face when Dr. Manning came in to talk to me about my 'weight issues' and 'mental health' as he so delicately put it, and still had them when I was released from the hospital. I cried when Meredith parted ways with us, half-afraid I would never see her again. She promised to visit me soon and that I was stuck with her for life, which make me feel a little better.

I cried the whole ride home, which was silent except for my sniffling. I didn't think it was even possible for a single person to cry so much, but every time I thought about the events of the past 48 hours, I was devastated all over again. I was incredibly angry at my mom for lying to me my entire life. I was angry at William for never doing the right thing. I was angry at myself for falling, for getting sick, and for fucking up my chances of going to Princeton without falling into a sea of debt. I tried telling myself that I had my whole summer and then my senior to save up money for school and I could work my ass off for scholarships, but the thought only made me feel more exhausted. I was too tired to even think about all the extra effort I would have to do.

"What do you need, Cindy? Are you in pain?" My mother whispered to me that evening. I let her help me to bed the minute we got home but I'd thwarted every other question she had for me. Was I hungry? Did I want to watch TV? Did I want to talk? The answer was always no. This time, I nodded yes and she sighed.

She handed me a pill and a glass of water. I took it without asking what it was.

"Your friends want to see you. I told them you were sleeping," she said hesitantly.

"Why don't you just tell them the truth instead?"

"What?"

"Tell them what's really going on. Tell them that the doctor thinks I'm crazy enough to need-" I picked up and read the pill bottle from my nightstand that she had just put down moments ago. "-valium. Tell them that I'll never be able to go to Princeton now with a fucked up collarbone and my probably real dad is _dead_. Because I can't talk about it without crying."

She just looked at me with a sad look in her eyes, not saying a word. She left the room after a few moments and I cried myself to sleep, even though it was mid-afternoon. When I woke up I would do the same thing I'd done to myself when my mom and William had divorced; force myself to be numb so I wouldn't have to feel the pain of loss.

-0-0-0-0-0-

I awoke to the feeling of there being another presence in my room and immediately wanted to pull the covers back over my head, assuming that it was my mother again. In my sleepy confused state, my injured arm jerked a little too hard and I almost started crying all over again.

"Are you okay?!" a familiar voice said near me. I opened my eyes and saw Libby sitting next to my bed, staring at me intently.

"Oh my god, hi. How long have you been here? What time is it?"

"Okay, let me fill you in: It's around 6pm on Thursday, you fell over two days ago and you've been home since yesterday. Your mom _finally_ let me in to see you about an hour ago. The entire school is talking about you and Betty - everyone is saying that she dropped you on purpose."

"Why are they saying that?"

"Oh, I don't know, because she's secretly evil? It sure seems like something she'd do, especially since Jimmy dumped her. Blink twice if she dropped you, blink once if she's monitoring this room with an audio recorder and you're being forced to lie about it."

"Libby, my head hurts and you're not making sense."

The past day since coming home from the hospital had been a blur. I slept mostly, and while I was awake I found myself hungry and bored. Official doctor's orders were no exercise and no cheerleading until my collarbone was healed. He'd also said no school until I was 100% flu free or until my head felt better. I had a feeling that between the involuntary bedrest and the way my mother was feeding me I would be gaining back that ten pounds in no time. I still didn't have my phone, and it was a little lonely having only my mother to keep me company. I still wasn't speaking to her except to occasionally answer her incessant questioning.

She took a deep breath and grabbed my non-injured hand. "I'm sorry. It's been a long couple days. We've been worried about you."

"We?"

"You know, everyone - but especially Jimmy. He's been a wreck."

At the mention of Jimmy, I was suddenly aware that I most likely looked like a mess. I hadn't taken a real shower since I fell and my face felt puffy from crying. I was lucky that he wasn't here right now to see me like this. I struggled to sit up. "Where is he now?"

"Something about tutoring - he skipped a few appointments yesterday and people are pissed off. He wanted to be here, though. He told me to give this to you," she lifted up a small gift bag and set it on the bed. "It may seem rude for me to not bring a gift but I'm gifting you with my presence."

I rolled my eyes at her attempt to make me laugh but couldn't help the smile spreading across my face. I had a feeling she was trying to cheer me up and luckily it was working. I didn't want to cry anymore.

"Do you know what's inside?" I asked her, touching the bag gingerly.

"No idea. Are you hungry?"

We spent the next few hours eating and talking until my arm started twitching in pain. It was uncomfortable from being in the sling for so long but I was afraid to take it off even for a second. Before she left, she handed me my phone, informing me that it'd been in my gym bag and she had picked it up from school. I thought about checking it but decided to open the mysterious gift sitting on my bed instead.

Inside there was a card and a small, round ball that was heavy and made of metal. I turned the ball around a little but couldn't figure it out, so I opened the card.

It was plain and didn't have any text on it besides Jimmy's messy handwriting. _Press the button on the side to turn on your present._ I did as it said and the ball opened up ever so slightly, soft light illuminating the room.

It was already dark outside and I hadn't bothered to turn on any lights in my room yet, which I was grateful for. The ball was projecting the entire night sky onto my ceiling. I had a feeling if I went outside, it'd be an exact replica of what the sky really looked like in this moment. The twinkling stars shone and moved ever so slightly; not enough to make me feel dizzy but enough to take my breath away. They were so real looking and so close, as if I were really outside and away from the light pollution that usually surrounded the city. Somehow he must have known that I'd be suffering with cabin fever by now and this was a remedy for that. It was perfect.

I turned back to the card again. _When you start feeling better, open the card and you'll have my answer. Call me when you feel up to it._

That was a little confusing and it made me a little scared to open it. His answer? I had no idea what that meant. I hadn't realized I'd even asked him a question. Maybe that was from my fall. I did remember talking to Jimmy before practice that day, but the conversation was a little fuzzy.

Oh, fuck it. I wasn't going to start being scared of things now. I opened the card. Only three words stared back at me.

 _I choose you_.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

I was sitting at my desk, trying to focus on the homework in front of me, but I was too distracted my phone. If my timing was correct, Cindy should be awake by now. She would have opened the present I'd sent with Libby and if she still felt the same way about me, then I should be receiving a text or a call or _something_. But I only had silence.

I tapped my pencil against the desk impatiently. I shouldn't be so pushy. I knew she was injured and had a lot going on. It had probably been a bad idea to spring something like that on her during a time like this - but I was too scared she'd move on without me.

My phone buzzed, making me jump, and I picked it up hopefully. It was Libby. I sighed and answered it.

"You want a status update?" She asked after I said hello.

"Yeah, I'm dying over here," I said earnestly, and she just giggled.

"She's fine. Not really acting like herself but I sort of expected that. I gave her your present, too." That made me even _more_ nervous. "You gonna tell me what it is?"

"Nope," I said while emphasizing the _p_ sound. "She didn't open it right away?"

"No, I think she wanted to open it while she was alone."

"Oh."

"Don't sound so disappointed. Listen, I'm just going to go ahead and tell you what's been going on since you'll probably find out anyway. Cindy's dad-"

"-isn't her real dad. I actually know that already. It's, uh...a long story."

Libby was silent for a moment, shocked. "...Okay. Well let's just put it this way: she found out who her real dad was. She also found out that he's been dead for ten years."

My heart sank.

"She's okay, though," Libby continued. "I think she will be, anyway. She has us. As long as you're in it for the long haul." There was a threatening tone to her voice.

"Of course. If she'll have me."

"I don't think you have to worry about that. Even after all the bullshit that went on with Betty, I know she still feels something for you."

I winced at that. "It might take awhile for her to forgive me," I replied quietly.

"It might, or it might not," she said mysteriously, and I sighed. "I gotta go, don't worry too much, okay?" She hung up before I could reply.

The next day ticked by slowly. I had skipped school the past two days - partially because I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but Cindy and partially because I had the sudden urge to get down to the lab. Yesterday afternoon, after my mom had received several calls from the school wondering when I'd be back to tutor students, she had forced me to go for the entire school day. She'd been surprisingly understanding up until then, even though I knew she had questions.

The past few days had been the first time I'd spent more than a couple hours in my lab since before summertime, nearly nine months ago. I wanted to actually create something with a purpose. It might have been one of the first times in my life that I'd invented a device that was purely for someone else; it wasn't self-serving in the slightest.

It was probably safe to say that Betty _had_ been my problem. Or maybe it was me that was the problem - I'd been standing in my own way by even being with Betty even though I was never actually sure if I was happy with her.

Whatever it was, it felt nice. I felt a little more like myself again, despite how nervous I was about how my gift was going to be received.

Giving Cindy some time was going to be the most important thing. I was starting to realize that it could be days before I heard from her. Maybe she wasn't ready. I was trying not to jump to any conclusions. I had to physically stop myself from checking my phone by leaving it in my locker on purpose for most of the day.

When the dismissal bell rang, I hurried to my locker. Betty hadn't been back at school since Cindy fell, and I assumed that she was sick with the same flu Cindy and most of the other cheerleaders had. There was a story going around about how Betty had purposely dropped Cindy on purpose - with the reasoning behind it being that she was so angry over how I'd broken up with her that she actually snapped. It was difficult to determine who had even started the rumor. I had a hard time believing that Betty would do something so cruel even if she was upset, but others didn't seem to have a problem with the story. I'd been receiving strange looks all day. I ignored them in favor of finally checking my phone, hoping for a missed call or a message.

There was nothing.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

The next morning was when I finally switched off the present I'd gotten from Jimmy and ventured downstairs. I'd slept through the night easily even though sleeping had been my main activity for the past couple days. It was early, but my mother was already sitting at the kitchen island, just staring off into space. She jumped slightly when I came into view.

"Cindy," she said, getting up quickly. "I can make you breakfast."

I didn't protest. I sat down in her vacated seat and watched her as she got out the ingredients for scrambled eggs.

"I talked to Meredith yesterday," she said suddenly.

"You did?"

She nodded. "She's excited to see you again."

"You'll let me do that?" I asked slowly. She stopped mid egg-crack and looked at me.

"I know that I've made a lot of mistakes, and I'm trying to make up for them. Keeping you away from Meredith wouldn't be beneficial for anyone, not even for me. She's always been such a kind, sweet woman and she could tell you about Matthew more than I ever could," she replied, shocking the hell out of me. Who was this woman and where was my real mother?

"Speaking of Matthew, can we...talk about this whole thing?" My voice was shaking just a little from bringing up his name. "I just don't understand. Maybe I could understand why you kept it a secret from me up until you and William got divorced, but not after that. I mean, you lied to me, your husband, and the Kelley's for years!"

She flinched a little but I suddenly had a hard time feeling bad for her. She was quiet for a long moment, just watching the eggs in the pan sizzle before speaking.

"You know, when I was younger, I always told myself I wouldn't be anything like my mother," she mused. My maternal grandmother had died when I was fairly young, leaving me with little memories of her. "She was rude and critical most of the time. And I knew I wanted a daughter so I could do things differently than she had."

"What do you mean by different?" I asked curiously, even though she wasn't answering any of my questions.

"She didn't think women needed careers, hobbies, or interests outside of finding a nice husband to settle down with. She wanted me to get married and start a family when I wanted to go to school so I could support myself. I dated Matthew off and on during high school and William was actually the son of a family friend - my mother loved him.

I knew I was already pregnant when I started dating William. We got married quickly because that was the only way my mother would help pay for my schooling, even though she disapproved of me going. She figured I would realize the mistake I was making by going and give up before graduating. She was wrong about that."

"I guess I didn't realize you had gone to school while married and pregnant," I commented.

She gave me a soft smile. "You were a good baby. You slept through the night most of the time and seemed to know when I needed to study. I even brought you to the library with me when final exams came around." I wanted to laugh at that.

"That still doesn't explain to me why you kept it a secret," I said.

"There's no good excuse I can give you that would make this situation better, unfortunately. I was young and suddenly married to a man I wasn't sure I knew very well. I knew telling the truth would end up with me divorced and with my mother hating me, which also meant I couldn't go to school anymore. I didn't want to raise you in an environment that would hinder your growth in any way. I want you to be successful and in my mind, growing up in a poor, broken home would've prevented that."

Although she had said it wouldn't make me feel better, I sort of did, even just for a moment. I could almost imagine my mother as a young woman struggling to make the right decision. The morally right decision would've been to tell the truth - but she was telling me she loved me in her own weird, stunted way.

"The longer the lie stretched on, the harder it was for me to even think about telling the truth," she continued. "I did some awful things. I tried telling Matthew that he wasn't your father, that he was delusional. If there's anything I regret doing...it's that. He didn't deserve any of that."

The eggs she was cooking were long forgotten and she shut the stove off, wiping at the sudden tears that barely had time to fall.

"I also regret that you didn't get to meet him. Due to my poor judgment, you won't have a real man in your life to be a father figure. I don't know how I can make that better."

"Telling me the truth is a good start," I spoke up, sensing that she was starting to spiral into a fit of emotions, and I wanted to continue the conversation. "I do appreciate that. You can't change the past. I guess we just have to find a way to move forward."

She just stared at me in slight astonishment before chuckling a little. "I hope now you can understand why I've always been so hard on you. I think you are a talented and smart young woman, and I'm so proud of everything you've done. I know that you probably think I've pushed you too hard, and I realize now that I was trying to overcompensate for what had gone wrong in my childhood. I wanted you to always know that you have options."

It might have been the first time she'd said she was proud of me (in a direct way at least), and I couldn't help myself. I slid off the barstool and walked around the kitchen island, enveloping her in a hug. She returned it while being mindful of my injury.

"Thank you," I said simply, trying not to cry again. With my recent track record, I wasn't likely to stop if I started again.

I'd spent years complaining - in my head most often - about my mother and how she didn't appreciate me, and how overworked I felt from her pushing me to do things I didn't even like. But I tried to imagine my childhood going differently and I honestly couldn't conjure up any images. No one was perfect, including my mother. I was still angry that I'd been kept in the dark for nearly eighteen years about who my dad was, but I'd been telling the truth when I told her she couldn't change the past.

We couldn't live in the past, either.

"I have something for you," she said as she pulled back. She left the kitchen and came back with her purse, pulling out a slip of paper. She handed it to me.

It was a bank deposit slip for Cynthia Vortex, but it wasn't the bank account that I used myself. There was an amount listed for the deposit and below that was the total amount in the account. The first number said $10,000 and was dated almost two weeks ago. The total amount read $45,000.

I looked up at her in alarm. "What is this?"

"Your college fund," she answered simply. I just stared at her.

"Mom, this is a lot of money," I said, shaking the slip at her.

"It is. It's taken me nearly eighteen years to save it, too, so be careful. You can access it after your 18th birthday. I believe the amount in there will be enough for one year at Princeton, yes?" She turned the stove back on and went back to the eggs, leaving me to get over the shock on my own.

These past few months when I'd believed that my mother didn't care about Princeton, she had been saving money for me to go wherever I wanted. She had essentially just given me a ticket out of Retroville, even though I had a year of school left to go.

"You know," I finally said, watching her as she started putting the eggs on a plate. "If you would've shown me this sooner I would have never snuck around and asked William for money. I would've never found out on my own about Matthew, either."

She just shrugged. "Maybe, but you're very observant. You would have found another way."

I sat back down on the stool and kept the deposit slip close, as if the money it stood for was only an illusion that would disappear if I took my eye off of it.

"Now, I still want you to work hard from here on out," she said sternly, but her eyes were kind this time. "No one gets into Princeton by slacking off. I'm not made of money. I can't be paying for four whole years out of pocket if you decide to let your grades slip."

I just smiled, unable to take her lecturing so seriously now as she slipped back into her normal mom behavior. She caught my smile and to my surprise, returned it wholeheartedly. Finally, it no longer felt as if everything was falling apart around me. I could almost convince myself that things were going to be okay.

"I should probably be getting all the homework I've missed soon, then," I said. I didn't want to think about how behind I was.

"Some of it is here already," my mother replied as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "That neighbor of ours is very worried about you. Maybe you should call him soon." She sent me a look over the rim of her mug.

"I'm assuming he brought over the homework…?"

"Among other things," she said, gesturing towards a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the counter that I hadn't even noticed until now, which made me smile like an idiot all over again. "Is there something going on I need to know about? Is this the boy you were crying over that night you came in late?"

I winced as I thought about that. It was no secret that my mom harbored some sort of grudge against Jimmy. In the past she'd always pushed me to better than him, but that sort of pressure had waned significantly over the years as I'd gotten a little too old for a petty rivalry that I'd never win.

"Yeah, he's the one."

"You were wrong about him," she replied. "He's definitely in love with you." She picked up the newspaper and started reading it casually as if she'd just commented on the weather instead of the state of my love life.

I didn't know what to say to that. After a few minutes of silence with me poking at my eggs mindlessly, she spoke again.

"I was in love with Matthew," she said quietly. "I let him go for what I thought my mother wanted. I hope you're not doing the same to make me happy. Jimmy is a nice boy, and if you love him, you shouldn't make the same mistake I did."

"He's everything," I said quickly, surprising myself with my reply. She gave me a small but knowing smile. "And I wouldn't do that. Let him go, I mean."

"You've always been so persistent. But that's a good thing. Persistent women usually get what they want."

I had a feeling she was right about that.

I finished my breakfast, determined to spend the rest of the day catching up on homework and making myself look presentable so I had the evening free to do whatever I wanted.

There was a neighbor that I needed to visit.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

I took my time after school, picking up Cindy's homework and helping out in the Chemistry lab. I was checking my phone periodically but still nothing came through. If I kept myself busy, I told myself, then I wouldn't think about her as much. It was a nice thought but not a true one.

When I let myself into my house, I was greeted with by my mom, who looked a little angry. As soon as I shut the front door behind me, she was standing in front of me with her hands on her hips. "You're late!"

"Hey, I was just doing what you told me to do," I shrugged. "At least I went to school. Why are you mad?"

She sighed and patted me on the cheek. "I'm not angry, dear, but your guest might be. She's been waiting in your room for over an hour now."

My heart stopped beating for a split second and restarted, going twice as fast now. "Wh-what? Why didn't you call me?"

She gave me a smile before turning towards the kitchen. "She told me not to rush you."

Half of me was afraid that the _she_ in my room was Betty or even Libby and not who I wanted it to be, but I nearly ran upstairs and ripped open my bedroom door anyways. I wasn't disappointed. Cindy was sitting at my desk, probably snooping through all my stuff, but I didn't care. She was here. She looked a little worse for wear; she was paler than usual and was sporting a pretty complex looking sling on her left arm, but other than that it was just Cindy - and she was beautiful with her blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. I couldn't be happier.

She spun around at the sound of the door opening and smiled at me, her eyes lighting up. "Neutron," she said calmly. "Took you long enough."

I stepped into the room fully and shut the door behind me, crossing the room quickly to sit on my bed so I was facing her. "I told you to call me," I said, pretending to scold her.

She just shrugged adorably with her good shoulder. "You know I never do what you say."

"That's most definitely true," I replied, content to just look at her now that I had her in my sight. "Are you okay, do you need anything? I know you're probably in pain right now. You could sit on my bed, if you want and -"

A slightly muffled giggle stopped my ramblings and I gave her a half-hearted glare when I realized she was laughing at me. "I'm fine," she said, but I shook my head, not believing her. "Really! I've done enough resting the past few days to last me a lifetime."

Despite her vocal protests, she didn't stop me when I took her by the hand and forced her to sit next to me on the bed. She was closer to me now, and I could smell that familiar, heady scent of her vanilla perfume. "Better?" I asked teasingly.

"Much," she quipped, and we stared at each other for a long moment before she looked away, blushing a little. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"What do you mean 'for what'?! For everything," she exclaimed. "The flowers, the homework, the amazing... _thing_ you made you for me. It was perfect, by the way. I love it."

I wasn't used to her complimenting me so strongly, and she seemed so earnest with an intense look in her eyes that it was hard to not believe her despite it being an uncommon occurrence.

"I'm glad you liked it," I said.

"I'm a little confused by the note, though."

I froze. I hadn't exactly been subtle when I'd written that. She'd given me an ultimatum that day in the hallway, and so I'd given her my answer. I didn't know how she could be confused by that.

"How are you confused?" I asked slowly.

"I think I'm just missing some things. I don't remember most of practice that day or falling. I know you and I talked in the hallway but everything else is fuzzy," she explained.

I couldn't help but to laugh. "So need a refresher?"

"Yeah but only if I'm going to like what I hear," she said in a true Cindy Vortex-style response, meaning she couldn't help but get a small jab in even while asking for assistance. I grabbed her hand, interlacing our fingers together as I thought about how to tell her what I wanted to say.

"Maybe we can just re-do that conversation instead of me telling you what happened," I said, and she looked me at curiously. "It didn't quite go the way I had planned anyway."

"I'll play along," she agreed, a smile toying with her lips.

"Good. I'll start," I said before making my voice more serious. "Cindy, there's something I want to tell you."

"Is that you're not actually smarter than me?" She erupted into a fit of laughter at her own joke and I rolled my eyes even though a smile was growing on my face.

"Somehow I knew you wouldn't take this seriously, and by the way, that was an underhanded compliment," I replied and she just kept laughing.

"Try again. I'll be serious this time. You need to tell me something."

"Yes, I need to tell you that...I'm sorry," I said, and she squeezed my hand. Her smile was gone now but her eyes warm. "I'm sorry for not believing you when you told me about Betty. I should've believed you. I'm sorry for not saying anything when you told me you loved me. And I'm sorry that it took me so long for me to realize how I really felt about you."

"That was a lot of apologizing," she mused. "And it was all completely unnecessary, Jimmy."

I let one of my hands brush over her head with a touch so soft she probably couldn't feel it before I cupped her cheek. "You hit your head harder than I realized," I replied. "The old Cindy would relish the fact that I'm trying to grovel right now."

She laughed again, this time a breathy one. "The new Cindy can push her pride away for a moment to let you know that once again, you're wrong and I'm right, and there's no need to be sorry for-"

I cut her off by pressing my lips to hers, not being able to stand not touching her the way I wanted any longer. I stayed mindful of the arm that was in the sling as I pulled her closer to me. Unlike our first kiss, which had been abrupt, messy, and influenced by alcohol, this one was slow like we had all the time in the world. She tasted sweet, and this time when I felt her tongue touch my lips I let her in instead of pulling away, like I should've done the first time around.

A few minutes later, I was pretty sure she was the one who pulled away from me first to breathe. She rested her forehead on mine for a moment, her hand entangled in my hair, before I took the opportunity to kiss her anywhere else I saw fit; down her jawline, under her ear, a place on her neck that made her make a noise in the back of her throat in the softest way that I thought I was hearing things. I kissed the same spot again harder this time, even letting my teeth graze the soft skin there briefly. Sure enough - there was the sound again but louder this time.

"I love you," I told her in between kisses. "And I know you don't remember but I was trying to tell you with that note that I choose you over Betty - over _anyone_ , really. If you'd let me go back in time and fix this, I would choose you from the start. I would choose you a million times, if you wanted me to. I should've been able to see that it's been you all along. You were always in the back of my mind, you know? I was always thinking about you." I pulled back to look at her face and was startled to see a tear fall from one eye. "Why are you crying? Did I hurt you?"

"No," she said quickly. "This is just a thing I do now, I guess. Crying uncontrollably for no reason. Part of the new Cindy." I kissed a lone tear I saw on her cheek and she breathed out another laugh. "I love you too, you idiot. But you knew that already."

"I was afraid that I was too late, though."

"You still never told me about the _choosing_ thing," she prodded me with a finger to my chest gently. I caught her hand and held it in mine.

"That day when you fell you sort of told me to," I said and her eyes widened. "Choose between you and Betty, I mean."

"Maybe it's my turn to apologize," she said without looking me in the eye.

"For what?"

"Well, for making you choose. That's pretty shitty. And for trying to ruin your relationship before that."

"Ah, I see you're trying to steal my apology spotlight now. Not going to happen, Vortex."

My comment served well to wipe the sad look off her face, and I kissed her again until she was tugging at the short hairs at the back of my head and there was a glazed look in her eye. I whispered _I love you_ in her ear over and over until I was interrupted by a knock at my bedroom door.

"Dinner's ready!" My mother's voice came from the other side, but luckily she didn't try to open the door. Cindy pulled back and attempted to fix her now-sloppy ponytail.

"Come on, your mom said she's making lasagna, one of my favorites. I don't want to miss it," she said, standing up and looking at me expectantly.

"You're staying for dinner?" I asked, surprised.

"Duh," she replied sarcastically, her sassy attitude reappearing in the blink of an eye. "Your mom is a great cook. You should've seen the breakfast _my_ mom made this morning. Horrendous. Hope you don't mind if I never learn how to cook. It's not really in my skill set."

She held out her hand for me to take, and I grinned at her, content to be in her presence - her sarcastic ramblings like music to my ears. I took her hand and we went downstairs together. There were probably still a few details to hash out between us. There was no doubt in my mind that she was still going through something that was deep and painful no matter how she tried to hide it. We had a lot of history between us, most of it not all that great. I was sure that we still weren't going to be able to get along all the time. Logic and reason was telling me that we were too much alike for this to work, but I didn't listen to that part of me for once. We'd find a way because we loved each other. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been this happy.

From now on when it came to Cindy Vortex, I wasn't going to listen to anything but my heart.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **This chapter sounds like it's an ending, but don't fear! At least one more chapter (or two) and an epilogue is coming up.**

 **I know you've all been waiting for the fluffy, more lighthearted part of this story for 19 long chapters, so there's more to come. There's also still much more to resolve; DNA test results, a reappearance from Betty, and that silly holiday dance that was so important a few chapters ago. ;)**

 **Please review!**


	20. edge of desire

**Hi all! I'm sorry for the delay. I didn't manage to warn many people about this - but I got a new job (now I work two) and I have less time to write. But I still plan on making it a priority and posting chapters when I can.**

 **I'm having some trouble with The Crown, but I'm sure that will smooth out soon. I mentioned a new story I'm working on earlier, and that will be up soon after I finish this one.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and/or checked up on me in the past week! Your encouragement is much appreciated!**

 **Dangerous**

"I don't know why you're doing this," I said grumpily. I could feel Libby pick up another strand of my hair and wrap it around the curling iron. "Shouldn't you be the one getting ready? I'm not going to the dance."

She ignored my complaints and continued doing my hair.

It was Saturday, and even though I'd spent the most of the evening of Friday at Jimmy's house, I was still going stir-crazy. Since I was technically still supposed to be resting my arm, I wasn't allowed to go to school or attend school events until Monday. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn't attend the holiday dance that I'd spent so much of my time decorating for.

I made sure to tell everyone - well, just Libby and Jimmy - that they didn't need to skip out on it just because I had to be at home. I knew Libby was excited to wear her new dress and spend time with her boyfriend, but my _own_ boyfriend (I was still getting used to that word) had refused to cave to my wishes.

That had been a short and sweet conversation. It went a little like this:

" _Why won't you just listen to me and go to the damn dance?"_ I'd finally exclaimed after nearly twenty minutes of us arguing about it.

" _Why would I go if you can't go? I don't have any desire to be there if you're not,"_ he had replied.

Simple as that. I didn't argue much after that.

I convinced my mother to finally leave the house so she could attend her own event - the class reunion she'd been planning for a few months now. That meant Jimmy and I had the house to ourselves and I was looking forward to it.

"Just because you won't be boogying with me on the dance floor tonight, it doesn't mean you won't be there in spirit. You might as well look the part," Libby said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I rolled my eyes but continued to let her do whatever she wanted, which included my makeup too. She already told me that Sheen was going to be picking her up at my house and when she changed into her dress and stepped out of the bathroom, I was confused when she went straight to my closet.

She had a devious smile on her face when she pulled the dress I'd gotten for the dance out and held it out for me to take. "Put this on."

"There's no way I'm wearing that, Libby, spirit or no spirit. I'm just going to be sitting at home and it'll be too hard to get on anyway."

"How do you put a shirt on everyday then?"

"I take the sling off and just put it back on when I'm done."

She raised a brow at my answer and then shook the dress a little as if to say, "So?"

"This is important to you?"

"Yes! I'm at least getting a picture with you! Maybe we can leave the sling off for that though," she winked, and with a little bit of her help, I managed to get the dress on.

My collarbone and shoulder area was still sore, and I felt weird without the sling on. Since the dress I bought was off the shoulder, it showcased the fading bruise I had on my chest from the impact of my fall and it wasn't exactly pretty.

"Okay maybe the sling will stay on," she said uneasily as she saw the bruise. "But it will make for a good story twenty years down the line."

"I'd rather not retell this particular story," I said, and we both laughed as I struggled to maintain a balance between wearing an ugly back sling with a pretty, sparkling dress.

We were interrupted by the sound of my doorbell and Libby let out a small shriek. "That must be Sheen! Come downstairs with me!"

I was glad that she was so excited but couldn't help feeling a little left out. I was just glad that Jimmy would be keeping me company while she had fun. It was getting dark out now, and as Libby was opening the door I got a little distracted by the fact that the light on my patio was on, which I could see through the sliding kitchen doors.

"Go ahead," Libby said, and I jumped when I realized she was right behind me. She pushed me towards the door and I turned to glare at her.

"What's going on?" She just shrugged but the devious smile was back. Sheen was standing slightly behind her and was wearing the same expression. "You two are creepy."

Neither of them acknowledged my insult and so I just followed her direction; unlatching the door so I step out onto the porch. I gasped when I realized what was waiting for me. We had a large yard but the in-ground pool took up most of it, so between that and the house was a patio and a small grass area. The entire patio was surrounded in twinkling fairy lights and our usual outside table and chairs had been moved aside, replaced with a single table that was decorated in a way that screamed _high school dance_ \- there was a punch bowl, snacks, and a small speaker where music was playing. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard the music until now.

Suddenly, Jimmy appeared from inside of the shed we had beyond the pool, and I heard him curse as he saw me. "You guys were supposed to wait until I was ready!" He walked over to us and pointed to a string of lights to my left that were flickering a little faster than the others. "Those aren't even working right yet. You seriously couldn't follow simple instructions? I knew I should've asked Carl to help."

I could practically feel the accused couple sinking back into the house behind me.

"We'll give you two some alone time," Sheen said slowly. "We don't want to intrude."

"We'll be back later!" Libby said cheerfully. They slid the door shut and then there was just the two of us left.

"I'm sorry," Jimmy said to me immediately. "I wanted this to be perfect for you since you couldn't go to the dance, but I'm realizing now that it looks like something an eight-year-old could do."

I just smiled at him, a little overwhelmed by the set-up. I was actually more than a little overwhelmed by _all_ of the events from the past few days. The conversation with my mother, finding out Matthew is my real father, fracturing my collarbone, and now this - finding out that the one thing I thought would never happen was actually real. I had only hoped that Jimmy could love me back and but never expected it to happen. It was a pretty big transition, going from _I want you to be happy but please don't make me watch_ _it happen with someone else_ to being together. It felt more like a dream. For what had to be the millionth time this week, I could feel tears well up behind my eyes.

Jimmy was watching my reaction warily, and he must have recognized the expression on my face. "Oh no," he said, a small amount of laughter in his voice. "New Cindy strikes again."

"I can't believe you did all of this," I said through the tears threatening to blur my vision. He came over to me and wrapped me in a hug.

"This is a nice dress. You look beautiful," he commented quietly. His lips were on mine in the next second, but I didn't let him kiss me for long - I still had questions. I pulled away after a moment and laughed when he attempted to follow me.

"Seriously, how?"

"I had help from Libby, who distracted you all day, and your mom, who gave me the shed key. Most of the lights were in there," he replied.

"My mom helped you?" I asked in surprise.

"She was pretty excited about the whole thing."

"This week is getting weirder by the second," I mused, and he just exhaled a laugh. "I love you."

This time when he kissed me I didn't stop him. I just hoped he could tell how grateful I was for everything.

We spent the night having much more fun than we would have if we actually went to the dance, and I even convinced him to dance with me for a few slow songs, but he wouldn't dance to fast songs, which I had expected. It was getting late, and I knew that my mom would be coming home eventually and Libby and the guys would be probably be over soon, too. The entire night had been magical, though, and I didn't want it to end.

"It's a shame you're injured," Jimmy said mildly, eyeing the snack table he had set up. "It's a perfect night for a beer pong rematch, but it would just be unfair."

"Oh whatever, Neutron. I could kick your ass one-handed."

"You putting money on that?"

When the rest of the gang showed up at my house, that was how they found us - fiercely competing against each other once again but this time we kept the trash-talk at a low yell so the neighbors wouldn't call the cops on us. I tried not to cheer too much when I won out of respect for Jimmy, but I couldn't help myself. I had a feeling he had let me win but that was okay.

"You didn't miss anything," Libby said as she flopped down in one of the chairs. "But I will say the look on Betty's face when she realized that Jimmy was here with you instead of at the dance...that was priceless."

I felt a little uneasy just thinking about Betty and judging by the look on Jimmy's face, he felt the same way.

"If she didn't want to kill me before, she does now," I muttered so only Libby could hear, but she just brushed the comment off.

"You're not scared of her."

She was right, but I still felt uncomfortable thinking about seeing her and going back to school in general. According to Libby, rumors had been flying around all week and most of them involved a grand scheme of Betty trying to kill me for stealing away her man. It was all absolutely ridiculous and I didn't like being the focus of such stories.

The only thing I could do was brace myself for what was to come on Monday...and hope for the best.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

After the magic of Saturday night slowly dissipated, I could feel Cindy's nervousness about going back to school on Monday beginning to rise, even during times when we were just speaking on the phone. She was trying hard to hide it and to most people, she was probably successful, but I could usually tell when she was upset.

I offered to drive her to school since it would be difficult for her to drive with one hand, and when she walked over to my house sporting a blank face and stiff shoulders I knew that her emotions were at their peak.

She settled herself in the passenger seat and didn't say much or even look at me. "Hey," I said while putting a hand on her leg, but she still didn't respond. "We'll just pretend like it's any other day, okay? It'll be fine."

"It's not that," she said, finally turning to look at me. Her eyes looked sad although her face was still blank. "We got the DNA test results back this morning."

I froze. "What did they say?"

"Exactly what I'd been told. William isn't my father and Matthew is...or _was_ , I guess. I don't know why, but it just hurts. Even though I already knew the truth, it didn't feel real until right now."

I knew she was working on trying to be more open with me and I was surprised by how much she was sharing. She was a pretty closed off person in general and our relationship was still new. I'd tried a few times in the past few days to talk about her father situation, but I hadn't been able to get more than a few sentences out of her. The worst part about it was that I didn't know what to say or do to help her.

I'd tried talking about myself a little in order to make her feel more comfortable sharing things with me, and she seemed interested in how I hadn't been able to invent anything new the entire time I had dated Betty. " _That should've been your first clue about her_ ," she'd told me while looking a little smug. " _Good thing you had me to knock some sense into you."_

I knew better than to argue with her when it came to that subject.

"I'm so sorry, Cindy," I said quietly, and she took a deep breath like she was trying to compose herself. "How can I help you?"

"You already are," she said honestly, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Here's what we're going to do today: we're going to school and ignoring all of the stupid rumors about us and then after I think you should go see Meredith. And maybe I can come along, if you want."

She returned my smile, and squeezed the hand I had resting on her leg.

"I'd like that."

Even I was starting to feel nervous as we reached the school and walked through the parking lot towards the building. Cindy was already getting attention from those around us thanks to the sling that was hard to hide. As we reached the steps leading to the main doors, I glanced at her and noticed she looked less worried than she had all morning.

"Everything will be okay. I love you, you know that?" I told her, and she just smiled at me and took my hand in good one.

"I know. Of course everything will be okay. I have you," she said simply, and together we walked inside, ready to face anything in our way.

The first obstacle was our first class - if it were any other day, I would sit my usual seat and Cindy would sit caddy corner to me, behind Betty, but that seemed weird now. Betty wasn't in class and as I sat down, Cindy easily slid into the seat next to mine. She received a few looks at that but her glare made them turn their heads away.

When class was about to start, Betty finally arrived to class. She froze when she saw Cindy sitting in what was previously her seat, but I had to remind myself that it had been Cindy's seat in the first place. She was just taking it back.

I still thought fighting over a seat was ridiculous, but I was knew now that it wasn't about the seat at all. It went deeper than that.

It seemed as if everyone was watching the two girls - probably expecting a fight to break out, but even when they made eye contact, nothing happened. Betty seemed to accept that she'd been kicked out of the seat and sat down in a different one instead.

The room seemed to interrupt in whispers after she sat down, but Cindy remained like a calm statue next to me until class started and everyone quieted down. Sometimes I couldn't believe the strength of the girl I was in love with - she'd been through hell and back in just a few days, and she wasn't letting it stop her from living her life normally. I didn't really have to be surprised by her. That was just Cindy Vortex.

One brave soul actually turned around in her seat to look at her curiously, but Cindy just replied with a raised brow. The girl quickly turned around, cheeks burning red.

The rest of the day was peaceful after that.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-  
 **Cindy**

I'd been so worried about how going back to school would be that I'd forgotten about the DNA tests altogether. When I went downstairs to eat breakfast on Monday morning, I found my mother in the kitchen holding a letter in her hands.

"What is that?" I asked.

"It's the results to the tests you requested last week," she replied, handing them to me.

There was a lot of scientific jargon that only Jimmy would be able to read right off the bat but it said clearly on the bottom that William Vortex was not my biological father, and that Meredith Kelley had tested positive for the same DNA I had, meaning she was an immediate family member.

I could tell my mother was watching my reaction closely, but I didn't know how I was feeling. I knew there was a difference between knowing something and _officially_ knowing, and that difference hurt. A lot.

I placed the papers on the kitchen counter and didn't say anything. She made me breakfast when she realized that I wasn't going to make an effort to eat anything and I ate quickly before going over to Jimmy's.

The good news that with the DNA results, I could forget about how nervous I was about school. Even better that I had Jimmy to help with the rest.

To my surprise, though, nothing dramatic had happened throughout the day. I'd expected Betty to scream at me, or for someone to bring up the rumors, but there only a few awkward stares directed my way.

I'd been flagged down in the hallway by Coach Kathy half way into the day and the fawning she'd done over me was more than a little uncomfortable.

"I hope you're doing okay," she said for the hundredth time.

"I'm fine. I don't know if I'll ever be back to cheerleading in time for the competition though. I hope the rest of the squad is okay."

"Some are still sick but most are recovered by now. They are all a little shaken up by what happened to you."

"They aren't the only ones."

"Maybe you should come to practice tonight!" She exclaimed as if it were the best idea ever. "They would all love to see you, and you can see what we've been working on. If you get healed up in time, I would love to have you back on the squad."

I didn't want to go to practice, but a part of me missed the excitement of performing a routine. And I was sure when Kathy said 'they' she didn't mean Betty Quinlan, who of course would be present at practice.

"Alright, I'll be there."

Kathy nearly jumped for joy down the hallway.

At lunch when I told everyone else my plan, both Jimmy and Libby acted as if they thought it was a bad idea.

"You're not supposed to practice," Jimmy said in his best stern voice, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not. I'm just going to sit there."

"Maybe you need to go home and rest?" Libby offered, obviously taking his side. Dumb and dumber at least seemed smart enough to withhold comments.

"I'm going to lay you both to rest if you don't stop telling me that," I said, and they both shut up.

Watching practice made me feel more sad than I cared to admit, but I knew I could always be on the squad next year if I felt compelled. It didn't feel right, though. I'd had my heart so set on going to the competition that I felt I owed it to myself to get better quickly so I could still attend.

One thing I noticed was that Betty wasn't practicing either. It wouldn't make sense for her to quit, especially since I wasn't technically a part of the team anymore. I heard a shoe scuff next to where I sat on the bleachers and there was the Queen Bee herself.

Although, she wasn't much of a queen of anything lately. I'd also noticed that she didn't seem to be in anyone's favor anymore. Rumors of her being a psychopath might have done that, and I almost felt bad for her.

She just stood there looking at me, and I realized that she wanted me to scoot over so she could sit, so I did even though I was confused.

"Quinzilla," I said in a way of greeting.

"Vortex."

"You didn't quit the squad did you?"

"No. I twisted my ankle when...you know. So I'm benched until next week."

"That's unfortunate," I said, finding it hard to dredge up any kind of sympathy for her physical injury.

"Not as unfortunate as that," she said while eyeing my sling.

"Yeah, well," I said awkwardly. I didn't know why she was sitting next to me or why I was even speaking to her. It was clearly paining both of us for it to happen.

"I didn't drop you on purpose," she said abruptly.

"No shit?" I said in a questioning tone, wondering she was bringing it up.

"I'm trying to apologize for what happened," she said, frustrated. "Even though it wasn't done on purpose, I know I'm partially at fault."

"Who else's fault is it?"

"I don't know, Jamie's? Kathy's? Yours?"

"Don't worry, Quinzilla, no need to apologize. I wasn't blaming you in the first place."

"Everyone else is. I was blaming myself a little, too. I guess it's good to know that you weren't," she said quietly, not looking at anything but the group of girls practicing below us on the gym floor. I didn't reply.

"As for Jimmy," she continued, "It's clear that he feels strongly for you. I won't stand in your way with that."

"I appreciate the gesture, but you couldn't take him from me even if you wanted to," I said, trying not to laugh. She shot me a glare before standing up. "Leaving so soon?"

"I might go sit on the other side of the bleachers. No offense."

I really did laugh then, and I knew that if circumstances were different, I might not hate Betty Quinlan. But I didn't know that for sure. I'd had extreme feelings of distaste towards her since I'd first met her, and without Jimmy in the picture we might actually get along. I wasn't interested in a life without him, though. At least I was comfortable in the fact that she wouldn't be trying to kill me and wouldn't be pulling any bullshit when it came to Jimmy and I.

When practice ended I talked to Coach and the rest of the squad for awhile, feeling good that I'd stayed to watch the practice. I left through a set of double doors leading to the parking lot where I knew Jimmy was going to be picking me up, I saw him and his car still parked in the same spot he'd chosen that morning. He hadn't left.

"I told you to go home," I called out, and he just gave me a heart-wrenching grin as I walked towards him. He reached for me and I folded myself into his arms easily.

"I wanted to wait for you," he said, and I wondered if he meant to be this romantic on purpose or if it was unintentional. Either way, I didn't mind. I pulled his head down for a kiss and met him halfway. When we pulled away from each other, I had to crane my neck to look at him fully.

"Still up to seeing Meredith?"

"Of course."

The sun was setting as we left and I spent most of the ride to Meredith's thinking about the DNA results. The pain I'd felt earlier in the day had subsided a little, and I could think more clearly about it. I was always going to be upset about not being able to meet my real dad, but I would have Meredith to confide in and share the feeling of loss we could both understand.

I was a little afraid of my life going back to the way it was before all of this happened - but I supposed that was just a reflex of some sorts. I didn't need to really worry about the things I had been a few weeks ago, and that was a weird feeling. Surely life wasn't going to be easy from here on out. I knew my main concern would be getting _into_ Princeton now that I knew I could afford it for the most part.

None of that mattered, at least, it didn't in this exact moment of me sitting in the car next to Jimmy. I had no doubt that life would be better with him by side.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Hope you guys aren't disappointed by the Betty/Cindy talk, I didn't want anything explosive to happen between them since Cindy is beginning to feel content with her life and Betty has learned to accept what happened between her and Jimmy. She will be featured a little in the epilogue too, so if you were disappointed then maybe I'll make up for it then.**

 **Random - but does anyone watch Parks and Rec? I sort of got inspiration from that show (specifically Ben/Leslie) for part of Jimmy's thoughts in his section. Points to whoever gets what I'm talking about.**

 **As you all already know, there's a playlist on my profile for the songs I listened to while writing this story. Take a listen if you want, but especially listen to the song for this chapter! It's my absolute favorite.**

 **The next chapter will be the epilogue. I hope you enjoyed and please review. :)**


	21. no tears left to cry

**Hi everyone!**

 **So this is it, the end of this story.** _ **Dangerous**_ **has been my baby since I had the sudden urge to return to fan fiction back in October. I hope you've all enjoyed the ride like I have. I couldn't have asked for a better journey back into fanfiction like this story right here.**

 **Dangerous**

"Open it, Cindy."

"I want _you_ to open it, I can't do it."

"I'm not the one who applied to go to Princeton. It's your mail!"

"Maybe Libby will open it. Or Jimmy."

My mother sighed, clearly frustrated. I was going to be to late to school if this kept up any longer. I heard the front door open and close and knew it had to be Jimmy. He was probably wondering why I wasn't getting into his car right about now so we could ride together to school.

"Is everything okay?" He asked as he came into the kitchen.

"Tell her to open the letter!" My mother yelled with her head stuck inside the fridge.

Jimmy followed my gaze to the counter, where a crisp envelope featuring the Princeton emblem sat. I swore that it was staring right at me, taunting me.

"Cindy, open it," he said. He looked happy - he seemed convinced that I was going to get in. I kept saying that he was going to jinx me but he never listened. He'd been telling anyone he thought might care for the past six months to hear that his girlfriend was going to Princeton.

I was a little afraid of what would happen if I didn't get in.

"It can wait until after school. We're going to be late!"

I started pushing Jimmy towards the door and both him and my mother gave me a look. So what if the letter had been sitting on the counter for nearly four days now? So what if I kept making excuses as to why I didn't want to open it?

The one piece of paper was going to make or break me. I'd gotten into every other school I applied to but none of those mattered unless I was forced to use my back-ups.

And I hadn't been the only one that applied to go to Princeton. Jimmy had gotten in there, along with every other Ivy League and prestigious college in the US. He told me he was keeping his options open just in case. I wanted to ask what _just in case_ entailed but I was too afraid.

I was afraid of leaving home, leaving Libby, Meredith, and my mom. I was afraid of losing Jimmy but I never spoke those fears aloud to him. Surely our relationship would be able to withstand long-distance for awhile if we happened to be at two different schools - but how long until it makes me crazy?

I was also scared he would choose to go to the same school as me for the wrong reasons. Following your significant other was always the worst thing to do. I had a hunch that I was at least part of the reason as to why he hadn't graduated early.

The rest I blamed on Betty, of course.

These were all the thoughts that had been floating throughout my head since the day I sent off all the applications. I felt like I was going to explode from internalizing everything, but things were going good; my collarbone had healed nicely, I was getting along with my mother, Meredith was always there if I needed to talk. The old desire I had to leave Retroville and start a new life at Princeton had faded. I didn't feel as if I _needed_ to go to Princeton anymore. I still wanted to go but I realized somewhere along the way that I'd probably been more in love with the idea of leaving, not the destination I'd been planning on going to.

Jimmy let me push him out the door without much protest but I knew he would force me to talk about it sooner or later.

On the way to school, he said, "Is there a reason you won't open it? Did you change your mind?"

I guess it would be sooner and not later.

"I haven't changed my mind. I just...need a little time."

"You know you have time, right? We don't graduate for another two months and then we have all summer before school starts again."

That sounded like I would be spending my summer saying goodbye to him. Maybe he'd made his decision already.

"I'll open it today, alright? Can we just drop it now?" I snapped and he fell quiet. I immediately felt bad. He didn't deserve to be yelled at just because I was internally struggling.

When we got to school, he kissed me on the head before walking off with Sheen and Carl, leaving me with Libby at my locker and I knew he wasn't mad. I was grateful that he seemed to understand me even when I didn't understand myself.

"Hey girl," Libby said. "What's up?"

"I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to say the first thing that comes to mind, okay?"

"This is a weird game for first thing in the morning, but sure."

"Where am I going to go to college?"

"Uh, Princeton? Isn't that what you won't stop talking about?"

"Ugh, you're no help!"

"Did you get in?" She asked excitedly. "Should be about time you get your letter, right?"

"Maybe you could come over and open it for me," I told her like it was the best idea I'd ever had. "I just can't do it."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "No way. You're crazy. Open it your damn self!"

"I gotta go talk to Mrs. Lawrence."

Libby groaned as I walked away. The guidance counselor had nearly banned me over the past few months because I was in her office so often, trying to perfect my admissions essays and applications.

I knocked on the door rapidly before walking in. Mrs. Lawrence looked up at me warily from behind her computer. "Cindy...welcome back."

"Hi, I know you're probably tired of seeing me, but this is urgent."

Her face softened slightly. "What can I help you with, honey?"

"I don't know what to do about Princeton."

"You got in?" She asked excitedly. "Congratulations!"

I held a hand up to stop her. "I don't actually know that yet. But if I _do_ get in, I'm not sure if I want to go."

She went from looking happy to stunned in record timing. "But Cindy, Princeton has been all you've talked about since I knew you as a freshman. What happened?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really sure."

Her brow furrowed. "Are you sure things are okay with you?"

"Things are more than okay! I'm happy. I just...don't want want anything to change, I guess."

She tapped her pen against her desk and studied me. "Life is all about changes. Good and bad. You're not the only one who's been having these feelings so close to graduation. Just take it one day at a time, okay? I'm always here if you want to talk."

A knock at the window on the door to her office caused us both to look. Jimmy waved me from the other side and I smiled.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lawrence," I said. "For everything."

I was going to miss her. Maybe the next school I went to would have a Mrs. Lawrence and a Libby to make the place feel more welcoming, although I doubted any kind of replacement for either would suffice for the real thing.

Jimmy was shaking his head when I stepped out of her office. "I had a feeling I'd find you in there," he said fondly.

"Just having a little visit," I said lightly, taking his offered hand as we walked to our first class.

"So you weren't discussing going to Princeton?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He just shook his head again. He was used to my avoidance techniques at this point, even though I know it probably frustrated him to no end. Old habits die hard, and even though William hadn't been my real dad, I was still raised by him for over half of my life and he'd unintentionally handed off his most undesirable trait.

I did my best to fight through it, though. I haven't seen or spoken to William since I got hurt over a year ago, and that was fine. I didn't need him in my life and I think he was too proud to apologize. Maybe someday. In the meantime, I had more important things to worry about...like planning out the rest of my life.

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Jimmy**

Life calmed down a _lot_ after Cindy and I started dating. I hadn't realized how much drama had consumed our lives until Betty was completely out of the picture - and it felt like a huge weight had been taken away after she graduated. Although all three of us were able to navigate the school without much confrontation, things were still a little tense.

Cindy was still technically a cheerleader, and even though she wouldn't ever admit it, I knew it was because she liked the sport and being in charge as the sole team captain for her senior year. She told me that the only reason she'd become one was to be apart of the competition that would cause her to get 25k if they won. She wasn't healed in time to compete, but Retroville didn't win anyway. I knew she'd been extremely disappointed by not being able to participate, but I was glad that her health had been more important to her than pushing herself too hard.

I didn't know where Cindy's internal struggle with opening her Princeton letter suddenly came from, but I had a feeling that she was avoiding it and the topic of college because she afraid we would break up. I couldn't do anything be reassure her that I wasn't planning on leaving her, but I don't think it made much of a difference. I knew she trusted me but she didn't have a great track record with the men in her life, namely William Vortex.

I was hoping that with a little time and coaxing that she'd make the decision I knew in her heart she wanted to make.

When lunchtime rolled around and Cindy was nowhere to be found, I wasn't worried. She appeared five minutes after we all sat down, coffee in hand. Typical.

"Teachers lounge again?" Libby asked.

"How did you know?"

Libby and I shared an eye roll. Sometimes she was too predictable.

"You'll never guess who's throwing _our_ graduation party," Sheen said excitedly.

"I heard Brittany was throwing it," Libby said. "Why is that so spectacular?"

"She is, but guess where it'll be at?!"

We all stared at him expectantly.

"Betty's house!"

Cindy literally spit out some of her coffee onto the table and Carl cringed. Libby started laughing loud enough to gain the attention of the tables around us. Sheen just looked sort of confused. I grabbed a napkin and threw it on the coffee spill and looked over at my girlfriend.

"We might need to improvise again like we did for the holiday dance," I told her. Usually, the seniors had one large party for their graduation so that the entire class could attend it. Apparently Betty had been nice enough to offer up her house.

"I'm not going to any party thrown by her. I don't care how much time has passed," Cindy said.

"Oh, c'mon guys!" Libby teased. "Isn't that where your whole relationship started?"

"Shut up, Libby."

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **Cindy**

I went to Jimmy's house after school and we went up to his room. I laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. I knew it was time to open the damn letter. I needed to stop being a baby. I heard Jimmy clear his throat and I looked over at him. He had something in his hand.

"What is that?" I asked. He handed it to me and I sighed. It was the letter from Princeton.

"Jimmy-"

"Just hear me out," he interrupted. "I'm going to love you whether you did or didn't get in - although I know you did. I'll also love you no matter where you decide to go to school."

"Will you love me if I stay here and attend a state school?"

He rolled his eyes at me half-heartedly. I wouldn't do that unless I had no other choice and he knew it. He leaned down and kissed me on my forehead, cheek, jaw, and then finally my lips. "You're silly," he murmured with his mouth still against mine. "I'd love you if you wanted to stay in Retroville forever, or if you joined the circus, or if you wanted to move to a foreign country for the rest of your life."

"I wouldn't love you if you joined the circus. That's where I draw the line."

He kissed me, effectively stopping my teasing. We took advantage of the fact that neither of his parents were home and took things further than kissing...let's just say I was happy for the distraction.

Jimmy seemed to forget about the letter after that, and later that night after we'd both dressed and tried to make it look like we weren't a couple horny teenagers that had been left alone in the house for too long - I found it again near his bed.

He glanced at me from where he sat at his desk and saw I was holding the letter in my hands.

"If you open it, I may just tell you where I've decided to go to school."

I ripped the envelope immediately, struggling a little to get the letter out around the jagged edge I'd made. My hands were shaking a little, too.

 _Dear Cynthia,_

 _Congratulations! The committee has reviewed your application and we are happy to offer you admission to the class of 2022._

I kept reading, stunned, and Jimmy got too impatient and came over to read it himself. He rested his chin on my shoulder and we stayed quiet for awhile, even after I'd read it more than once.

"I knew you would get in."

I elbowed him in the stomach and he grunted.

"Okay, so tell me what you've decided."

"Well, are you going to Princeton?"

"Why are you asking me that? We shouldn't base our decisions off of each other."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, and maybe you should just decide what _you_ want to do before I tell you what I'm thinking."

"That puts a lot of pressure on me," I grumbled.

"I've already decided where I'm going to school, Cindy. If you really want me to tell you now then I will, but I'm trying to make things easy on you."

I sighed. "Why do you have to make so much sense all of the time?" I tossed my acceptance letter back onto his bed.

"Just remember what I said," he said, dropping a kiss behind my ear. "I'll love you no matter what, and you and I can get through anything."

This is was one those moments I wished I had his unwavering confidence. "I love you too," I replied. "I wish I didn't suddenly have doubts about Princeton."

"Do you have doubts about me? Or us?"

"What? No, of course not!" I said indignantly. He just laughed.

"Well, me neither. When it comes to you I'm always sure about what I want."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

In times of hardship, I was always comforted by Meredith. We'd become very close in the past year and a half. When trying to make a decision about college became a little too much for me, I went to her apartment. A few days had passed since I'd opened the letter and I was starting to panic even more.

"Your mother told me you got into Princeton! I'm so proud of you!" She said, enveloping me into a warm hug as soon as she opened the door.

"Thank you. That's actually why I'm here."

She pulled back and frowned. "I should've known something was up. You don't look happy."

"I am happy, trust me. I'm just kind of freaking out."

She led me inside and Coco immediately jumped on the couch next to me, begging for attention.

"What's got you so freaked out?"

"What if I hate it there? What if Jimmy goes to school ten hours away from me and we can't handle it? What if I miss home too much?"

"Woah, calm down, honey. That's a lot of what ifs."

"I know, but they're all valid."

"No one can predict the future," she said wisely.

"No, but I would like a little insight on mine. I just want to know if I'm making the right decision or not."

"Cindy, there's no way I can tell you what you should do because only you know that," she said gently. I felt a little defeated by her response. I wanted more guidance than that. "But I can tell you that life is pretty short. Too short to not do what you want, anyway."

"What does that mean?"

"Ask yourself what you want. Don't give yourself time to overthink it. If you find that what you wanted isn't making you happy, then it wasn't right for you. Simple as that."

Simple as that, indeed. I knew I wanted to go to Princeton and to be with Jimmy. It was the details that I was caught up with. I nodded, letting her words sink in.

"Besides," she continued. "You've made it this far. You've been accepted. Why give up only halfway through the journey?"

"You're right," I said.

Meredith patted my knee, smiling. "I know that look. Your father had the same one when there was something he wanted to do."

"What look?"

"Determination. Maybe a little persistence thrown in there, too."

I couldn't help but smile. I had a feeling my own mother would say the same thing.

-0-0-0-0-0-

My heart was beating fast when I arrived at Jimmy's house like I ran the entire way there from Meredith's, even though I drove.

"He's upstairs!" Judy Neutron called out cheerfully from the kitchen as I barged into the house without knocking. She had a great knack of knowing when I was there even if I tried to be quiet.

"Thank you!" I yelled from the stairs.

I didn't knock on Jimmy's door either. He was seated at his desk and looked to be busy. "Hey baby, just give me a second to finish this and I'll -"

"Jimmy."

He turned around fully at the sound of my voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. But I'm going to Princeton," I told him excitedly.

He grinned at me. "I know you are," he said lightly. "I just wanted to give you time to figure it yourself."

I smacked his arm at that, and he used my hand to pull me into his lap. "You're an ass," I told him, even though I wasn't serious. Of course he knew me better than I knew myself. "So, spill. Where are you going to go?"

"Well, I applied to every Ivy League," he said thoughtfully. "And got into every single one, as you know."

I rolled my eyes. "Save the bragging for someone who's not dating you."

"The thing about Ivy Leagues is that they're all great. They all have a lot to offer, and even if I decide on one now I can always choose a different one for advanced education if I want."

"Really? You think it's necessary to build up the anticipation like this?" I complained and he put a finger over my my lips.

"I'm just trying to preface this by saying that I'm not basing this decision on you. I know that's not what you want, and it's not something I would want you to do either. I made this decision a few weeks ago and already notified the school to tell them I'll be going there, if you don't believe me. I believe our relationship would work pretty well as a long distance one..."

Even though I knew he was right, my heart sank anyway. He just kept talking.

"...but that's not something we'll have to worry about. A lot of notable figures are associated with the school I chose. You know even though Albert Einstein didn't attend there, he still technically worked at Princeton or close by. Being so close to the Institute of Advanced Study will be a bonus."

"Princeton?"

"Yeah, I hope we don't break up. Might make things sort of awkward."

I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face even as I asked, "Jimmy, are you sure about this?"

"Now, Vortex, not everything is about _you_. Give me some credit." I hugged him and he wrapped his arms around me just as tight, but he pulled back quickly. "I have something for you."

He pulled out a box from under his desk and I opened it. It was a black jacket that had the Princeton emblem on the left side. "Since you wear this so often I figured I would get you a new one," he said, tugging on the sleeve of the jacket I always wore - the one he let me borrow so long ago and never gave back to him.

"I love it," I told him. "But you know I'm still going to wear this one, right? You're not getting it back."

He just grinned and pulled me down for a kiss.

"Fine by me."

-0-0-0-0-0-

 **This took me a long time to write because I reaaaally debated on where Jimmy should go to college. I think I also promised that Betty would be featured again but I decided against it.**

 **So - love it or hate it (I personally am happy with my decision), the story is written and it's over. I feel like I've written two endings to this story already from the previous chapters, and so writing this almost felt...unnecessary? I don't know. I hope it's not disappointing to anyone! Please leave a review!**

 **I'll be posting my NEW story soon! I already have a two-shot posted, and you may need to go to my profile if you haven't seen it. It has a higher rating and you won't see it unless you adjust your filters when on the main JN page. So go check those out soon! Continued support from you guys means so much to me. Thank you! :)**


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